Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell
by moonswirl
Summary: AU, season 5. Basically, this is the story of the Halliwells over the span of nearly forty years, three generations, their joys and pains...
1. The First Angel

ANGELS ARE BRIGHT STILL, THOUGH THE BRIGHTEST FELL  
  
by moonswirl [or Moonie Moon for the 'prophecy' peeps ;)]  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah... Well the basics anyway, premise, and the show characters and stuff... the rest? All mine *nods*  
  
Summary: Well that's kinda tough to say, if I don't want to spoil stuff and all. Basically, this is the story of the Halliwells over the span of nearly forty years, three generations, their joys and pains...  
  
Rating: PG I guess  
  
Category: Well, this is AU like bigtime, you'll see why shortly. Couple wise, we've got some Pi/L, Ph/J, and then Pa... well you'll see.  
  
Author's note 1: Review = happy writer. Happy writer = more story ;)  
  
Author's note 2: Okay, so I have nineteen chapters of this story so far. But since I know that once i go back to school my writing may be slowed down, I'm not real tempted to put everything up at once. So for now it'll be like... one chapter a week. Depending on the demand, I might boost that up to two a week, we'll see.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST ANGEL  
  
  
  
February 16th 2003  
  
  
  
"Come on Piper, one more push!" Phoebe urged her on.  
  
  
  
"I can't…" she cried.  
  
  
  
"Yes you can, she's almost out!"  
  
  
  
"Okay…" Grabbing on to helping hands of her husband and youngest sister on  
  
either side, she gave one last effort.  
  
  
  
"Look Piper, here she is…" Phoebe began to cry with joy, holding up her newborn  
  
niece briefly as the baby let out its first cries. In fact there wasn't a dry  
  
eye in the room. Once she'd been cleaned up and her cord cut by her father, the  
  
girl was handed to her mother, swaddled in a blanket.  
  
  
  
"Hi," the new mother laughed through her tears as she felt her daughter move  
  
around in her arms. The three sisters and the new father remained around the  
  
newest Halliwell for some time before they moved her up to her room and dressed  
  
her before returning her to Piper, who'd been helped over to her bed. It wasn't  
  
long before she was peacefully sleeping.  
  
  
  
"She's so beautiful…" Piper whispered, not the first since her birth.  
  
  
  
"She takes after her mother," Leo came to rest at his wife's side, looking down  
  
at their little girl. "You were great back there. I'm proud of you, as… cheesy...  
  
as it may seem." Piper laughed, trying not to be too loud at the same  
  
time. "What?" he grinned.  
  
  
  
"You said 'cheesy', I can't believe it…"  
  
  
  
"What's so funny?" Phoebe and Paige walked in. They sat at the foot of the bed.  
  
  
  
"Nothing important…" Piper told them, though she knew she'd tell them later.  
  
  
  
"How's my niece doing?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Hey, she's my niece too," Phoebe protested and the two of them laughed.  
  
  
  
"She's sleeping," Piper announced.  
  
  
  
"Can I hold her?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Just don't wake her up, okay?" she held her out.  
  
  
  
"I won't, I promise," Phoebe insisted, taking hold of her niece. "She's just  
  
the cutest thing ever. She's a Halliwell alright." Paige laughed and went to  
  
look over Phoebe's shoulder.  
  
  
  
"She's gonna be quite a looker. Are you ready for 'the boys'?" Paige winked.  
  
  
  
"She can't even hold her head up yet, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Piper  
  
told her. More laughs erupted.  
  
  
  
"So does this beautiful girl have a name?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah…" Piper said solemnly, "Prudence Melinda Halliwell." They were silent,  
  
sharing a silent prayer for their deceased eldest sister.  
  
  
  
"Well… Prue," Phoebe started, verifying that the diminutive agreed with  
  
her. "You wear the name well. Your namesake would be proud…" she cried.  
  
  
  
"How do you know she's not watching?" Paige pointed out. That brought a smile  
  
to their faces. Phoebe handed little Prue back to her mother.  
  
  
  
"Well here she is… I wish you could have been here with us now," Piper spoke to  
  
the air around her. "But I promise… She'll know about you. And maybe one day...  
  
the two of you will meet."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Eight months later  
  
  
  
"Ah! Ladies and baby, we have a potion," Paige announced as the brew erupted a  
  
small white cloud. Prue, sitting on the ground with her favorite teddy bear,  
  
Mr. Blacky, squealed. Paige laughed and bowed. "It's good to get some  
  
recognition."  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, how's that spell coming?" Piper asked, standing over the book while  
  
keeping a watchful eye over her daughter.  
  
  
  
"One… second…" she continued scribbling for a few seconds before holding up the  
  
slip. "Done!"  
  
  
  
"Great, now all we need is the Koren Demon to show up," Piper closed the book.  
  
The words were barely out of her mouth when they heard the doorbell from  
  
downstairs.  
  
  
  
"Did he develop manners all of a sudden? Last I checked he was more the 'crush,  
  
kill, destroy' type," Paige commented as Piper went to the window. When she saw  
  
who it was, she grinned and turned to her elder younger sister.  
  
  
  
"Uh, Pheebs, I think it's for you."  
  
  
  
"Who is it?" she stood.  
  
  
  
"Now what would be the fun in telling you?"  
  
  
  
"Piper!" Phoebe smiled.  
  
  
  
"Just go!" Piper started pushing her toward the door as Paige ran to the window  
  
to see for herself.  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright!" Phoebe headed off on her own. Paige turned to Piper.  
  
  
  
"So Romeo's back, uh?"  
  
  
  
"About time, too," Piper nodded, turning to Prue. "Your auntie's been kind of a  
  
grouch, hasn't she?" She nodded and Prue imitated her.  
  
  
  
Down on the first floor, the bell rang again and Phoebe hurried.  
  
  
  
"Geez, hold your horses," she muttered.  
  
  
  
"Uh, sorry, no horses, only flowers," was the response of the person on the  
  
other side. She knew that voice and it made her smile a huge smile. She opened  
  
the door… he was even more gorgeous than she remembered.  
  
  
  
"Hey boss," she grinned.  
  
  
  
"Are we on titles now?" he held out the roses to her and she breathed in their  
  
scent before throwing her free arm around his shoulder.  
  
  
  
"I've missed you so much Jason…" she cried as he put his arms around her.  
  
  
  
"Hong Kong wasn't as appealing without you… I handed duties off to someone else  
  
for a little while. I couldn't be away from you anymore…"  
  
  
  
They shared a long and lingering kiss, salted from her tears. He looked into  
  
her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe… Distance does make the heart grow fonder. It makes it hurt, too. I've  
  
had months to think about it…" Her heart sped up as she figured out what he was  
  
heading for… but that all came to a crashing halt as wind gathered in the hall  
  
and the tall and ferocious Koren Demon appeared, growling and eyes shining  
  
red. "What the…" Jason started in shock. Phoebe acted fast, passing the flowers  
  
to him and running at the demon, moving into a spinning kick. He didn't fall,  
  
only stumbled back a couple steps.  
  
  
  
"Piper! Paige! Koren!" she yelled up, as the demon charged her and she ducked  
  
out of the way.  
  
  
  
"Hey!" Piper shouted as she and Paige came running down. The demon turned and  
  
held up his hand toward her. She started glowing red and struggled as she was  
  
lifted off the ground from a distance. Paige, holding the potion vial orbed  
  
from the stairs to behind the demon.  
  
  
  
"Surprise!" she held up the vial to throw it down on him, but then he struck  
  
out with his free hand and she went crashing through the living room, the vial  
  
falling from her hands and sliding across the floor. Phoebe tried for a dash  
  
behind him to grab it, but again the demon was faster and he grabbed her by the  
  
neck as she began to suffocate, not before she was able to kick it in Jason's  
  
direction and weakly gesticulate for him to throw it.  
  
  
  
However baffled he'd been over what he was seeing, Jason found the clarity to  
  
pick up the clear tiny bottle with the amber liquid and throw it at the demon's  
  
back. He screeched and at once dropped Phoebe and his control on Piper as she  
  
fell. Calculating his odds, the Koren growled and disappeared.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, are you okay?" he rushed to her side as she coughed and tried to catch  
  
her breath.  
  
  
  
"L-Leo!" she called out. He was confused, then taken aback when a man appeared  
  
in lights much like those Paige had been wrapped in when disappeared and  
  
reappeared before. "Help Paige," she told him. He looked at Piper. "She'll be  
  
okay, go!" He nodded and went to the unconscious Paige. Jason watched in awe as  
  
Leo healed Paige's wounds and she woke up. He headed for his wife and did the  
  
same as Paige sat up.  
  
  
  
"Is the Koren toast?"  
  
  
  
"No, he got away," Phoebe explained.  
  
  
  
"Leo, go get Prue, she's been alone up there," Piper told her husband and once  
  
she'd been healed, worried not only about her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Okay," Leo looked at Jason before going up the stairs.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, are you okay? What just happened? Who… What was that guy?" he asked,  
  
helping her up.  
  
  
  
"That…" she looked at her sisters, "That was a demon."  
  
  
  
"A what?"  
  
  
  
"A demon, a Koren demon to be more precise," Piper told him as she and Paige  
  
came to stand around their sister.  
  
  
  
"I know it's hard to understand, but it's true."  
  
  
  
"What about you?" he looked at Paige. "You did that… thing, and…"  
  
  
  
"I'm a witch," Paige told him.  
  
  
  
"We all are," Phoebe told him. "If you'll just let us explain, we can sit in  
  
the living room and we'll tell you everything."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." The four of them went to sit. "So… witches…"  
  
  
  
"Good witches," Phoebe nodded, "We help people who need it, fight evil, and we  
  
have powers…"  
  
  
  
"Oh…"  
  
  
  
"Believe me, I've wanted to tell you before now and not in this way but… six  
  
years of experiences have forced me to hide it from people no matter how much I  
  
trusted them, how much I loved them…"  
  
  
  
"No, I think it was best for me to see you in action first. You really wailed  
  
on that guy," he smiled. She grinned.  
  
  
  
"So we're good then?"  
  
  
  
"Better than good. I love you Phoebe… witchcraft and all. I'm glad you told me.  
  
I still have questions though…"  
  
  
  
"And I'll answer every last one," she hugged and kissed him.  
  
  
  
"Aww, now why can't I find a guy like that? Hey Jason, you wouldn't have a  
  
brother by any chance?" Paige teased.  
  
  
  
"Sorry, they're all married," he laughed.  
  
  
  
After a few more minutes, they left Jason and Phoebe alone and they were free  
  
to talk.  
  
  
  
"You married a demon?"  
  
  
  
"Well… it's a long story, and not one I'll get into for a long time," she  
  
laughed.  
  
  
  
"Alright, fine."  
  
  
  
"So what were you going to ask me before?" she slipped into the conversation  
  
innocently.  
  
  
  
"Oh now it's not fair, you already know what's going to happen."  
  
  
  
"That's the point. I know what's going to happen." He nodded and pulled out a  
  
box from his pocket and held it out to her. It was red-velvet and heart-shaped.  
  
She opened it, revealing a stunning diamond ring.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe…"  
  
  
  
"Yes!" she spoke at once.  
  
  
  
"Let me ask you first," he laughed.  
  
  
  
"Sorry."  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, will you marry me?"  
  
  
  
"Yeeees…" They kissed and he put the ring on her finger. "Jason… Now you know  
  
my secret. You know why I couldn't go with you. What happens now?"  
  
  
  
"I don't have to go back for another two weeks. But it won't be long before I  
  
can come back after that. After that, if I have to move again, we'll find a  
  
way. Besides… can't your sister…"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, she can. Speaking of which, we should go tell…" She stopped, hearing the  
  
distinct sound of her niece's laugh. She looked to the side and saw Piper,  
  
Paige, Leo, and Prue, sitting in the stairs. "Are you sure you want to be a  
  
part of this family?" she joked.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Six months later  
  
  
  
"I always knew this day would come… I just wish it wasn't now," Piper told her  
  
sister as she put a box in the back seat of Jason's car. "Why can't he move in?  
  
I won't mind."  
  
  
  
"I know sweetie… But I have to do this. I can't stay here forever. And now Prue  
  
will have her own room. It's a good thing."  
  
  
  
"And she'll always be an orb away," Paige chimed in as she carried another box  
  
over. "Is this the shoe box? Thing weighs a ton."  
  
  
  
"That the last one?" Phoebe asked, hugging her sister.  
  
  
  
"Yeah." She reached over and brought Piper into the hug.  
  
  
  
"I better go then…" she sighed.  
  
  
  
"'ntie!" They turned as Prue, now fourteen months old, was brought over by Leo.  
  
  
  
"You didn't think I'd go without giving you a big hug, did you Ladybug?" she  
  
picked up the tot and hugged her tight.  
  
  
  
"'ntie…" she sniffled.  
  
  
  
"Aww, it's okay, don't cry… You'll get me started."  
  
  
  
She handed the brown-haired girl back to her mother. After another round of  
  
hugs and tears, she got in her car and drove off.  
  
  
  
"You okay?" Leo asked his wife, seeing her look after Phoebe's car as it got  
  
smaller and smaller.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. I'm happy for her and all but… I'm gonna miss having her… around" Her  
  
forehead creased as she watched Phoebe's car return in reverse. She hit the  
  
breaks and stopped the car when she got back into the driveway.  
  
  
  
"Get in! Innocent!" she called out.  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"I had a premonition!" Piper kissed her husband and daughter and followed Paige  
  
in the car. She was crammed between the door and boxes, but that didn't matter.  
  
Paige was in the front with Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"What did you see?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"A guy being attacked then killed by an energy ball."  
  
  
  
"Well then step on it! Did you see where he was?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, we'll be there in a couple minutes."  
  
  
  
Four minutes later, they were parked and they ran as Phoebe guided them. It  
  
wasn't long before they found them. What they didn't expect was for the victim  
  
to fight back… with magic. When the demon charmed at him, the man, who must  
  
have been about 26 or 27, lifted off the ground and levitated above his head.  
  
The demon looked up just as the guy came down to kick him in the face before  
  
landing.  
  
  
  
"Need a hand?" Piper asked as she threw her hands out and the demon exploded.  
  
The man looked at them and smiled.  
  
  
  
"Thanks. So I take it you three are witches, too?" he asked, brushing dirt off  
  
his clothes.  
  
  
  
"Too?" Paige asked, looking him up and down… not bad looking at all AND a witch.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. I'm Eric by the way. Eric Norwood," he held out his hand. Paige shook it.  
  
  
  
"Paige Matthews. These are my sisters, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell." He did a  
  
double-take.  
  
  
  
"You're… the Charmed Ones, aren't you?"  
  
  
  
"That's… how did you… I mean…" Paige stuttered.  
  
  
  
"Oh, it's okay. I just read a lot, hear a lot…"  
  
  
  
"Really…" Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"Norwood, you okay in there?" The girls looked up at the sound of the familiar  
  
voice.  
  
  
  
"Darryl?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Hey… what are you doing here?" Darryl asked.  
  
  
  
"Rescuing a… wait, you two know each other?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, he's one of our new officers, transferred from Chicago a couple weeks  
  
ago, what do you mean rescue?" Eric whistled and they all stopped.  
  
  
  
"I work with him," he told the girls, then turned to Darryl. "And I'm a witch,  
  
too," he explained, understanding that he knew about the Charmed Ones.  
  
  
  
"This… this is… I can't believe this…" Darryl shook his head. Eric smiled and  
  
lifted a foot off the ground before landing again. Darryl closed his eyes and  
  
rubbed them.  
  
  
  
"We were following this guy… only I knew he was a demon, so I figured I'd lure  
  
him here, away from…"  
  
  
  
"You'd be dead right about now if we hadn't shown up," Piper pointed out.  
  
  
  
"I know… thanks," he told them, mostly looking at Paige. She was blushing and  
  
looked away.  
  
  
  
"I… have to get back to the station, we went off the clock a couple minutes ago  
  
anyway. We'll talk later." And with that he left, still a bit shocked.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, he'll get over it… for the most part anyway," Paige told Eric. He  
  
nodded.  
  
  
  
"Well, hate to break up the alley party, but I should get going. Jason probably  
  
thinks I changed my mind about moving in by now." Noticing the looks Eric and  
  
Paige were exchanging, Piper turned to Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"Paige, are you okay to get back? I'll catch a ride with Phoebe."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, no problem." Piper and Phoebe left quietly and smiling.  
  
  
  
"I'm starving. Wanna get a pizza with me? We'll split it," Eric asked with a  
  
smile of his own, displaying some shiny white teeth.  
  
  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
  
  
They walked in silence, talking only once they were at the table in the  
  
restaurant and their order had been taken.  
  
  
  
"So… have you always known you were…" she let him finish in his mind, then  
  
realizing the place wasn't that crowded. "… a witch?" she whispered.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. Both my parents are witches, so I was taught about it all very early on.  
  
You?"  
  
  
  
"I've only known for about three years. That's when I was reunited with my  
  
sisters and found out I was part of a very important family. And I'm half  
  
whitelighter, by the way," she told him with pride.  
  
  
  
"I didn't know whitelighters could have children," he was indeed awed by it.  
  
  
  
"You'd be surprised…" she smiled. "How long have you been a cop?"  
  
  
  
"Almost four years. I wanted to help people, and I'd always wanted to be one,  
  
so it all worked out great."  
  
  
  
They continued to talk until it was almost closing time and by then they'd  
  
already set a dinner date the next night.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
January 2005  
  
  
  
"What's taking her so long?" Piper asked, standing over the stove where a  
  
potion was brewing.  
  
  
  
"Want me to orb her over?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"No… not yet. We'll give her another couple minutes."  
  
  
  
"Piper… I need to ask you something." Piper looked up at her sister and finally  
  
noticed she seemed nervous.  
  
  
  
"What is it? Are you alright?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
  
  
"Then ask away."  
  
  
  
"Can Eric move in with us?"  
  
  
  
"Sure." Paige looked at her like she'd expected her to blow a fuse.  
  
  
  
"Great! I'll call and let him know!"  
  
  
  
"Can it wait a couple minutes?" They turned and saw Phoebe walk in. She looked  
  
pale.  
  
  
  
"Hey sweetie, are you sick? You don't look too good." Piper walked to her.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, you look a little green," said Paige.  
  
  
  
"Ah… don't say 'green'," Phoebe told her as she sat at the kitchen table. "You  
  
might want to sit too."  
  
  
  
"Phoebe what is it, I'm getting worried here," Piper told her as she and Paige  
  
sat.  
  
  
  
"Oh, it's nothing bad," she reassured them, "In fact I'm very much happy about  
  
it… I'm just a little nauseated and all the movement was making it worse…"  
  
Piper and Paige caught on and looked at each other, smiles creeping up on their  
  
faces.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe… Are you pregnant?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Uh-uh," she nodded. Before she knew it she had two very giddy future aunties  
  
all over her. "Hey, nausea, remember?"  
  
  
  
"Sorry…" Piper laughed as they sat again.  
  
  
  
"There's more…" Phoebe told them, serious again.  
  
  
  
"Twins?" Paige guessed.  
  
  
  
"No, no, just one…" she explained, then, "One… boy." The sisters were shocked  
  
silent.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, I saw the tree, there hasn't been a boy…" Paige started.  
  
  
  
"Wait, how do you even know that?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Relax, I went to see Ava, it's cool."  
  
  
  
"Oh… alright." They let it all sink in.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
  
  
"Still nauseated?"  
  
  
  
"Getting better…"  
  
  
  
"Good." And the hugging and squealing continued.  
  
TBC - Chapter 2: Witches & their lives 


	2. Witches & Their Lives

August 15th 2005  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, are you sure about this? Wouldn't it be safer to go to a hospital?" Jason asked his wife as he helped her up the stairs.  
  
  
  
"Relax, we've done this before, remember?" Paige told him, standing at the top of the stairs.  
  
  
  
"We'll be fine," Phoebe told him as they got to the second floor. "Though I don't understand why you let me walk up there instead of orbing me!"  
  
  
  
"Oops!" Paige ran off to Phoebe's room.  
  
  
  
"Hey Paige, wanna hold my hand?" she asked through gritted teeth.  
  
  
  
Phoebe was settled on her bed as Piper and Paige moved into action. Leo was standing by, Jason was at Phoebe's side, and Eric was downstairs playing horsy with Prue. The girl was quite fond of her 'Unkie Eric'.  
  
  
  
A few hours later, a tired Phoebe was rewarded with the news that the head was out.  
  
  
  
"Hey, brown hair!" Piper announced and Phoebe laughed through the pain. "Okay come on, you're almost there!"  
  
  
  
"Okay," she nodded, pushing and screaming. A baby's cries broke through.  
  
  
  
"Look Phoebe, your son's here," Piper smile and cried. Jason and Phoebe kissed as the newborn was cleaned and wrapped up. Piper handed him to her sister the new mother as Paige and the others looked on all misty-eyed.  
  
  
  
"Hey baby," Phoebe whispered and cried as she kissed his forehead. Jason sat at her side looking at his son in awe.  
  
  
  
"He's so…" was all he could say, his joy fully displayed anyway.  
  
  
  
"Can we come in?" Eric poked his head through the doorway. Phoebe nodded and he pushed the door open. Prue ran in and went to her mother, tugging at her shirt. Piper picked her up.  
  
  
  
"What is it sweetie?"  
  
  
  
"Baby?" she asked. She'd been mystified at the thought there was a living person inside her ''ntie'.  
  
  
  
"Come here," Phoebe told her. Piper carried her over and placed her next to Phoebe. "You have to be careful, remember?" Prue nodded. She looked at the baby and smiled.  
  
  
  
"This was kinda fun," Piper grinned, "Ready for another?"  
  
  
  
"How about we wait a little while," Phoebe laughed.  
  
  
  
"Eight months okay with you, Piper?" She turned to Paige.  
  
  
  
"What?" she asked the youngest Charmed One.  
  
  
  
"I was waiting for the right moment to tell you…" she explained.  
  
  
  
"Paige… Are you sure?" Eric asked her.  
  
  
  
"Positive," she nodded, holding up the stick she'd stuck in her backpocket when Phoebe had called in labor. All caught their breaths as Eric tried to see if this was the time to celebrate or not. A smile was all he needed and he took her in his arms. Soon after she was surrounded by Piper's arms, and Prue's around her leg. She laughed.  
  
  
  
"Paige, come here so I can hug you," Phoebe told her when she'd been released. Paige obliged, careful not to squash her nephew.  
  
  
  
"Hey Phoebe, think I could…"  
  
  
  
"Of course," she smiled, handing her the sleeping boy.  
  
  
  
"Almost forgot… what's his name going to be?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Right, well we've decided to name him after some of his family," Phoebe explained. "Not like there was a lot of inspiration available from our side. So his name will be Henry Christopher Dean. Henry for his grandfather, and Christopher for his brother."  
  
  
  
"Sounds good to me," Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
Later that night, Eric and Paige were changing into their PJs, the events of the day really weighing down. Getting in bed and resting her head on the pillow, she could feel him looking at her.  
  
  
  
"Wanna talk?" she asked, turning to face him.  
  
  
  
"I'm just… we are happy about this, right?"  
  
  
  
"Yes, we're happy," she smiled. "Happy… and maybe a bit scared," Paige admitted.  
  
  
  
"Scared? What about?"  
  
  
  
"About whether I'll be a good mother or not, about the thought of bringing a child into this world, this family, when we face demons and death almost every day…"  
  
  
  
"We've done okay so far, haven't we? Prue's one happy kid, she's safe, so will Henry, and so will our child. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you. Any of you." She smiled. "Feeling better?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah." They kissed.  
  
  
  
"So what happens now…" Eric asked her.  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, playing with his hair.  
  
  
  
"I mean… Do we get married?" She let go of his hair. "Right, of course we won't."  
  
  
  
"No, that's not it… I just don't think I'm ready for it. I'm still getting used to the fact we're gonna have a baby, getting married is not on my imminent schedule. I love you, Eric. Let that be enough for now?" He smiled, putting a hand on her flat stomach.  
  
  
  
"It's plenty."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Four months later  
  
  
  
"How's my big boy?" Phoebe cooed as she watched Henry, sitting on the couch. Actually he was lying against the back, but she'd overlook that fact.  
  
  
  
"'Ntie!"  
  
  
  
"Hey girl!" she caught Prue as she ran at her. She gave her a massive hug, then looked to Henry. "You wanna sit with him?" She nodded. "Okay then." Phoebe sat her at Henry's side. Prue loved her cousin, always wanted to be near him. Everything fascinated her, and she loved her family, loving to hug and be held by them. And with the news of another little person, this time in her Auntie Paige, she couldn't have been more thrilled. Piper walked in.  
  
  
  
"Have you seen Paige?"  
  
  
  
"No, she left early this morning, said she had to go somewhere urgent."  
  
  
  
"Is she alright? The baby?" Piper asked, concerned for her sister and niece, as they'd found out.  
  
  
  
"We are perfectly fine," Paige announced as she walked in, her face aglow with happiness, "Just had to go furnish my closet with maternity wear before I ended up having to resort to nudity.  
  
  
  
Piper and Phoebe, the squealing aunts, rushed over to assume their rights to 'get touchy with the belly' as they'd come to call it.  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright, can I sit now?" Paige asked. They let her go and she sat next to Prue. The tot automatically lied back, head on her lap and hand on the belly as she whispered this and that to it. Paige smiled and looked at her sisters. "I hope I didn't worry you guys too much. I just wanted to go by myself."  
  
  
  
"Why? Afraid we'd embarrass you?" Phoebe asked before she and Piper launched into baby talk.  
  
  
  
"Stop!" she laughed. She got Prue back to her seat and got up. "So what do you think?" she turned so they could get the surround effect.  
  
  
  
"Marvelous," Piper clapped as Phoebe gave two thumbs up. Even the kids took part in the 'celebration'. Prue clapped along with her mother, and Henry giggled. Paige laughed and bowed.  
  
  
  
"Well if you don't mind, I'm going to go hang up my purchases." She picked up her bags again and started up the stairs. Piper and Phoebe didn't need words. Piper picked up Prue and Phoebe got Henry and they followed Paige up to her room. Paige was already waiting for them to arrive. "Come on in, have a seat."  
  
  
  
"One of Leo's charges called. She needs help, the kind we specialize in," Piper explained. "She's been having some problems with a warlock. He's stalking her, threatening her."  
  
  
  
"So what's the plan?" Paige asked as she started hanging her new clothes.  
  
  
  
"She's coming over so we can talk it out, see what we should do. Rushing in might now be safe," Phoebe explained.  
  
  
  
"Good," she nodded. The doorbell rang. "Guess that's… what's her name?"  
  
  
  
"Caelin Desmond," Phoebe stood along with Piper, and it took a while before they noticed their sister stood frozen yet angry-looking. "Paige?"  
  
  
  
"I went to high school with her, elementary before that. We bonded over the fact we'd both been adopted. We'd… pretend we were sisters who'd been sent to different families. We have to help her." She walked out and started down the stairs. Piper turned to her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Prue, you know what to do?" she asked as she and Phoebe put the kids down on the bed. She nodded.  
  
  
  
"Daddy!" she called out.  
  
  
  
"Okay, good girl," she kissed her before the two followed Paige.  
  
  
  
She got to the door and opened it. The woman standing there was a shell, barely any spark of life in her… not the Caelin she'd known.  
  
  
  
"Hey Caelin," she smiled weakly.  
  
  
  
"Paige? What are you doing here?"  
  
  
  
"Charmed One," she raised her hand. Caelin had a hint of a smile.  
  
  
  
"Always knew you were magical. And look at you," she placed a hand on her belly. Paige hugged her, and Caelin let her emotions out as she began to cry.  
  
  
  
"We'll help you, I promise. He'll pay."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next day  
  
  
  
Martin Smith was a warlock, and his reputation preceded him. He was known as heartless and cruel and he'd earned those qualities his whole life. He was worshipped by those evil like him, and feared by the covens he struck and decimated one witch at a time.  
  
  
  
And that all changed when he went after one witch… Caelin Desmond. As it was custom in his games, he would observe his victims, get to know their strengths and weaknesses. When he attacked though… he couldn't go through with it. He couldn't kill her. She was beautiful, lively… he'd come to know her, and he'd come to love her. It was the first time this had happened to him.  
  
  
  
It was the one time where he hated his reputation. He wouldn't kill her, and if it got out why he couldn't he'd be ruined. So he went for the next best thing. He started visiting her, frightening her. But what he wanted was to declare his love for her. She'd changed him. But she couldn't see that. He was evil.  
  
  
  
Lying on his bed, he was thinking about her when he heard a knock on his door. He went to answer, and the person there wasn't who he'd expected.  
  
  
  
"Caelin… how'd you find me?" She looked past him and he looked too. White lights deposited three women in his living room. He didn't need anyone to tell him who they were. "What's going on?" he asked Caelin.  
  
  
  
"Well Martin it's like this," the pregnant Charmed One told him. "We're here to vanquish you." He looked at them and the laughed. He disappeared, reappearing in front of them.  
  
  
  
"I don't think so." He raised his hand to hit them with whatever power he had, but Paige threw a vial at him and he backed up.  
  
  
  
"Get Caelin out of here, do the spell!" Paige told her sisters.  
  
  
  
"Paige?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Just do it! Leave him to me."  
  
  
  
"What about the baby? We can't let you get hurt…" Phoebe told her.  
  
  
  
"We'll be fine," she insisted. Piper and Phoebe knew there was no way around it. They walked past Paige and Martin, taking Caelin and leaving the apartment.  
  
  
  
"You won't get me, witch," he sneered.  
  
  
  
"As we speak, my sisters are casting a spell on Caelin. You won't be able to find her ever again. And that's if you happen to make it out of here alive. You don't mess with friends of the Charmed Ones. Ever." She threw another potion and he screamed, in pain but still alive.  
  
  
  
"This isn't over," he told her, out of breath. He blinked out.  
  
  
  
"No, it sure isn't." She orbed out and over to the manor. The others hadn't arrived yet, but Eric was waiting in the living room. When he saw her, he stood and went to her.  
  
  
  
"Are you alright? You had me worried sick." They kissed and he looked at her outfit. "You're absolutely gorgeous, you know that? I really have to take shorter shifts, I feel like we've barely seen each other lately. Hadn't even seen how much…"  
  
  
  
"Well that may have been something to do with the large clothes I had to wear in the past couple days." He leaned down and pressed a hand against her belly. "She's been moving around."  
  
  
  
"With us as parents she'll have one massive energy level…" Paige laughed, neither she nor Eric noticing the angry warlock watching from outside the window before he disappeared.  
  
  
  
"Well, I'm starving. Up for lunch?" she asked Eric. "I'll cook."  
  
  
  
"Deal," the happy couple headed for the kitchen.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Two months later  
  
  
  
"Helena… Helena… Helena…" Paige spoke, a different intonation at each as she walked into the kitchen holding a book at her side.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked, feeding Henry his lunch. Though she'd been living with Jason and away from the manor for over a year now, she still visited whenever she could.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, there's no Helena here," Piper pointed out as she made plates for everyone's lunches.  
  
  
  
"Not now, but there might be in a couple months," she told them, holding up the book. "I'm just trying out some names, narrowing down the list."  
  
  
  
"Well I like it," Phoebe nodded, turning her attention back to the hungry six-month-old.  
  
  
  
"Me too," Piper nodded. "Middle name will be Katherine, right?" she tried to remember.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, after my mother… the adoptive one anyway," she confirmed.  
  
  
  
"I think Helena Katherine sounds very nice," Phoebe nodded, making a goofy face at Henry.  
  
  
  
"Good," Paige nodded as well, making a note in her book. The sound of the door opening and closing and footsteps brought Jason into the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"Hi honey," Phoebe stood and kissed her husband.  
  
  
  
"Hi," he smiled, giving nod-greetings to his sisters-in-law before going to say hello to his son. Then turning to Phoebe… "Can we talk? In private?" He left the kitchen. Phoebe looked at her sisters, then followed him in the living room.  
  
  
  
"Something wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him.  
  
  
  
"You know a couple years ago we talked about the possibility I'd… we'd have to go somewhere for a couple months? With Henry coming, I'd managed to push it back for a while. But now I've stalled enough and I have no other choice."  
  
  
  
"Oh…" she looked down. "Well, it'll be okay, right? I mean, I can be orbed back when needed, and they'll be able to visit… Where are we going?"  
  
  
  
"Madrid," he announced. She couldn't help smiling.  
  
  
  
"For how long?"  
  
  
  
"Six to eight months, depending on how it goes." She stood.  
  
  
  
"When do we leave?"  
  
  
  
"We have to be there in 3 days. We have a house already furnished, so it's just the smaller stuff."  
  
  
  
"I'll start packing when I get home. First… I have to tell my sisters." She headed into the kitchen after hugging him and letting him out the door.  
  
  
  
"What was that all about?" Paige asked, sitting at the table with Piper as they ate. Phoebe sat as well.  
  
  
  
"Guys… we're moving to Madrid." She checked for their reactions. They were mostly shocked.  
  
  
  
"I'll still come whenever I can, it'll just be a bit more complicated and not as often."  
  
  
  
"We know," Piper reassured her.  
  
  
  
"And I'll be here for my new niece's birth. Not even an ocean in between us could keep me away." Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"And we'll help you pack if you need it. Then we can all go shopping for maternity clothes that can be worn by a new social worker."  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"My old boss called a few days ago saying that they were in need of someone and that if I ever wanted to return he'd give me the job, no questions asked. So all I have to do is make the call."  
  
  
  
"Paige, that's great news," Phoebe smiled.  
  
  
  
"Well I figured with a new mouth to feed on the way, it's just something I have to do."  
  
  
  
"Since we're in big news department…" Piper chimed in. The others looked at her. "I've decided to sell the club. I want to be a chef again." Phoebe and Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"I believe a party is in order," Paige suggested, to immediate approval from the others.  
  
  
  
Two days later, Phoebe was all packed, Paige had her job, and Piper was searching for buyers for the club and locations to apply for her chef wishes. Halliwell manor was prepped for guests and good times. The party was a celebration of mass proportion.  
  
  
  
Once the guests had left, the moment they'd partly dreaded arrived. They piled up in their cars and drove to the airport. They said their goodbyes to the boys and Jason and Henry got into the plane.  
  
  
  
"Auntie, don't go," Prue cried, tightly hugging her aunt.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry honey, I'll be back," Phoebe brushed the tears from her face while she tried not to start. She handed her over to Leo as the Charmed Ones shared a tearful hug.  
  
  
  
"We haven't been this far apart in a long time…" Piper told her. "Take care of yourself."  
  
  
  
"I will," Phoebe nodded.  
  
  
  
"And don't forget to e-mail us as soon as you get there," Paige added.  
  
  
  
"I will," Phoebe laughed. "I have to get in there… before I chicken out of this."  
  
  
  
"Have fun Pheebs," Piper hugged her again.  
  
  
  
"Wouldn't have it any other way," she nodded. "And you two keep things in check like always. Let's hope for not many duty visits."  
  
  
  
"Amen to that," Paige agreed. Phoebe got in the plane and the others watched her go. "We should get home. I have to work tomorrow." Piper laughed and they drove home.  
  
  
  
Early next morning, Paige showered, dressed, had breakfast, then was driven to work by Eric. "Excited to be going back?" he asked her.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I am. I'm also anxious to see their… reactions," she smiled, laying a hand on her belly. "I haven't told anyone there yet."  
  
  
  
"So that means a lot of getting touchy with the belly for you today, uh?"  
  
  
  
"And I can't wait," she laughed. "Hey Eric?"  
  
  
  
"Yes Paige?" She hesitated, then when he'd pulled up to the office and stopped the car…  
  
  
  
"Still wanna get married?" He looked at her.  
  
  
  
"Of course, are you serious?"  
  
  
  
"Well… after seeing Phoebe accept to leave her family to follow her husband and love of her life, I've decided that I'm… ready to take that next step…" He kissed her. "So maybe a couple months after the baby? Give me time to get my figure back…" she tilted her head.  
  
  
  
"Anything you want."  
  
  
  
"You're a sweetie," she grinned, kissing him again. "I have to go to work now," she told him with a definite gleam in her eye.  
  
  
  
"Have a good day," he held up a brown paper bag. She laughed.  
  
  
  
"Is that what I think it is?" He nodded. She took the bag. "You're the best." She kissed him again and got out of the car. She looked at the building, took a deep breath, and walked through the door.  
  
  
  
The sound coming into her ears was like an old memory that had stayed with her all along. She smiled and gave herself a little encouraging nod before starting through the room, doing as best she could not to bump anyone. But lucky for her, the belly preceding her had the effect of making people step back to let her through. Finally, she reached Mr. Cowan's office. The door was closed, so she knocked on the window. He looked up and had this big smile on when he saw her. He gave her the signal to come in as he stood to come and meet her.  
  
  
  
"Paige Matthews, you haven't changed…" he started, then his eyes dropped a foot or two.  
  
  
  
"I don't think 'surprise!' is gonna cut it, is it?" she braced herself for whatever his reaction would be.  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked with a smile, allowing her to calm down.  
  
  
  
"Afraid you wouldn't give me the job, I guess. And with my sister off to Madrid, the income's changed."  
  
  
  
"I still would have given it to you. How far along are you?"  
  
  
  
"Seven, nearing on eight months. I figured, if that's alright with you, I could get set-up for a week or two, then come back a bit after?"  
  
  
  
"No problem," he nodded. "Let me show you your office," he led her into the main area.  
  
  
  
"No way, I get my own office?" she gasped. He laughed.  
  
  
  
"Yes, you do. It's not that much bigger than your cubicle was, but you can walk around and everything," he explained, the last part as he opened the office's door.  
  
  
  
"No, it's great," she smiled, almost tearing up. "Thank you, Mr. Cowan."  
  
  
  
"You're welcome. I'll let you get started, if you need anything, you know where to find me." She nodded and he left. She went to sit at her desk and looked around.  
  
  
  
"This is very nice," she said to herself. Hanging up her jacket and bag on her chair and putting her lunch in a drawer, she turned on her new computer. She logged into her e-mail account and smiled when she saw she had a message waiting from Phoebe. 


	3. Loss

Back at the manor  
  
  
  
"Alright, what about this one?" Piper asked as she stepped back, having just slipped on her shoes.  
  
  
  
"You look pretty Mommy," Prue smiled. Piper grinned, sighed, and laughed all at once.  
  
  
  
"Are you going to say the same thing to every outfit?"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh!" she nodded. Piper rushed at her and tickled her. The girl squirmed and laughed.  
  
  
  
"And that's why you're the best kid in all the world!" Piper continued to tickle her. "Mommy has some very important people to meet today. And you have to come with me, so remember what we've talked about?" Prue nodded. "You're going to be a good little girl?" Again, she nodded. "And then we'll go for ice cream?" An energetic nod from her daughter made Piper laugh again. "Then we should get you dressed, uh? As cute as you are in those PJs, I'm afraid that won't work for what we have to do today." Prue jumped off the bed, already attempting to pull her shirt off. "Wait until we get to your room, okay?" she laughed again as picked her up. Prue always had her smiling and laughing, and Piper couldn't imagine her life before she was in it.  
  
  
  
Once Prue was dressed, and Piper had settled on an outfit, mother and daughter got in the car and drove off. First up she had a meeting with a potential buyer for the club. She'd talked to him about it for about two weeks, and she had a feeling this would be the day they'd close the deal. Sure enough an hour later Piper and Prue left the club with deal done, part of which was that if he didn't keep the name and/or the sign, the fluorescent 'P3' would be given to her and left intact. She just couldn't part with it, its symbolism.  
  
  
  
Once that was done, they went over to a restaurant she had an interview for. It all went very well and Piper was told she'd get a response by the next afternoon. Then as promised, Piper and Prue took off for the ice cream trip. A nice surprise was waiting for them there in the form of…  
  
  
  
"Daddy!" Prue squealed as she ran into his open arms. He gathered her up and hugged her.  
  
  
  
"There's my little angel," he smiled. "How was your morning?"  
  
  
  
"Good! I made pictures!" she held up a stack of crayon drawings and he took them before lowering her into a chair.  
  
  
  
"These are really good, Prue," he beamed with pride. "Are you going to be an artist?" She shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I'm gonna be a magician! Mommy, can I?" she pointed to the game area. Piper nodded. Prue hopped off her chair and handed her jacket to Leo. He seemed almost honored to do it. Piper laughed.  
  
  
  
"Got that proud papa thing down, don't you?" she grinned. He blushed.  
  
  
  
"Magician?" he changed the subject.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that…" she sighed. "Prue's been getting curious about her powers. She's not fully able to use them right yet, but she knows she has them. So what do we tell her? Is it time we sat her down and had the 'Wicca talk' with her?" she had a small smirk.  
  
  
  
"Is she scared about them?" Leo asked.  
  
  
  
"No, she thinks they're great. But I don't think she understands it all… her powers, ours… and now that she can talk, that could become a problem." He looked at their daughter, jumping and laughing.  
  
  
  
"Let's give her the day to have fun, then tonight or tomorrow morning, we'll talk to her. Then we can help her develop her powers."  
  
  
  
"She's growing up so fast," Piper sniffled. Leo put a hand over his wife's.  
  
  
  
Prue hadn't shown signs of powers until she was a few months old. Back then they were just hints. She couldn't achieve their magnitude or even really control them. As she grew they were able to figure out what her powers were.  
  
  
  
Being half-whitelighter and half-witch, her powers had attributes much like Paige. She could orb, though she didn't do it very often. As far as other whitelighter powers, like sensing and healing, she definitely had the potential to develop them. From her mother, she had received the power of levitation, much like her aunt Phoebe. But matched with Leo's hover abilities, Prue was practically able to fly, this they knew despite the fact that she hadn't gotten very high yet.  
  
  
  
After Prue had returned and they'd had their ice cream, they went to the park. She must have had a very strong stomach, because she never got sick playing so much after eating that much. Piper watched Leo chase the laughing little witch around the park and she felt like her life was just right.  
  
  
  
  
  
About ten minutes into it, Prue tripped and fell down. Piper ran over as Leo picked her up and carried her to a nearby bench.  
  
  
  
"Is she okay?" she asked her husband.  
  
  
  
"Scraped knee," he announced, consoling the crying child. "It's okay Prue, it's nothing, see?" he innocently placed his hand over her knee, taking it away to reveal her intact skin. She knew some things about him, though he preferred she had some mystery still. She latched on to her father.  
  
  
  
"I wanna go home," she whimpered.  
  
  
  
"Alright," he rubbed her back as they walked back to the car. She was quiet at first, but by the time they pulled into the driveway, she was making her way through 'Mary had a little lamb'. "I have to go, a charge needs me," he told Piper when they'd walked through the door and Prue had gone to play with her toys up in her room.  
  
  
  
"Okay, just be back for dinner," she kissed him and he orbed off. She went up to Prue's room. She was having a tea party with Mr. Blacky and Daisy Button-Nose. "Mind if I join you?"  
  
  
  
"Sit!" she ordered, pointing to one of the tiny chairs. Piper did as told and Prue placed a cup and saucer in front of her. She 'poured' from the teapot into the four cups.  
  
  
  
"What kind of tea is it?" Piper asked her.  
  
  
  
"Grape! Milk?" she held up another plastic cup.  
  
  
  
"Sure," she smiled. She had the occasional party with her, and every time the flavor changed. "Thank you," she nodded to her hostess once she'd poured the 'milk'.  
  
  
  
"You're welcome," she told her before repeating the task with their other guests. Mr. Blacky wanted so much milk that his cup overflowed. Prue quickly grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the mess. As for Miss Button-Nose, the poor thing was lactose intolerant, or as Prue put it, 'Milk is yucky for Daisy'. But she loved honey, so that's what she got.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
April 5 2006  
  
  
  
Eric had just arrived at the precinct when he was informed his fiancée's sister had called. Paige was in labor. So after clearing things with his boss, he got back in his car and returned home. It was there that he found out a few details had been left out, mainly that Paige wasn't at the Manor. She'd gone early to work since it was to be her last day before she went on leave.  
  
  
  
"You have to go get her," Piper told him. "Leo's gone to Madrid to get Phoebe, and I have to stay here to get everything ready. We can't have someone from her office get too involved or they could find out the truth about us.  
  
  
  
And once again, he got in his car and drove. Fortunately traffic wasn't too heavy, so he got there quickly enough. He had the car still running as he dashed through the doors of the office. There was a small commotion, so all he had to do was follow the sounds and he found her, sitting in a chair outside the copy room.  
  
  
  
"Paige, are you okay?" he crouched next to her.  
  
  
  
"I was just going to make some copies and my water broke, it's all a mess in there," she explained, semi-frantically.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry about it," he reassured her, brushing hair off her face. She looked almost vulnerable, a rare sight as far as she was concerned. "Come on, let's get you home," he helped her up.  
  
  
  
"She wouldn't let us call an ambulance," Mr. Cowan told him.  
  
  
  
"We're having a home birth," he explained as he helped Paige toward the door. "Thank you," he told the man as he held it open and they got to the car. "Hang on, we'll be there before you know it."  
  
"Eric, I don't know if I can make it that far…" she told him, attempting to deal with the pain. "What if we don't make it in time?" Eric looked around at the road ahead. It was getting crowded now.  
  
  
  
"Hang on," he told her, driving to the back of the office building. It was isolated and no one would spot them. "Leo!" he called out. "I don't know if he'll hear us."  
  
  
  
"E-Eric, there's no time to wait anymore, she's coming now…" She hesitated before saying the next words. "You might have to do it."  
  
  
  
"Me?" his eyes went wide. "But I don't know how…"  
  
  
  
"I'll guide you through it," she told him. He looked pale. "You can do it, I know you can." He looked up at her and finally nodded. Every few seconds, he would try to call Leo again. Some time later, they were set up and Eric told her to push. "I should have stayed home this morning!" she cried through a push.  
  
  
  
"It's a little late for that." Eric pointed out. She yelled something he couldn't quite make out, though that was probably a good thing. "I love you too," he encouraged her. And then they heard a ring. "What's that?" They let the tune play.  
  
  
  
"I think that's my phone," she breathed.  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you had a phone?" he asked, looking up at her.  
  
  
  
"Gee, I don't know, maybe I was a little busy!" she shouted. He fished around for her bag and got the phone out.  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
  
  
"Eric, good!" It was Phoebe. "I'm back home. Where are you? Where's Paige?" The answer came in the form of Paige's 'tiny' pain scream.  
  
  
  
"We're in the car, parked behind her office, we can't get home, I'm trying to do something I have no idea how to, I need help!"  
  
  
  
"Alright, breathe. Leo's a bit winded from that trip, he'll be there soon, hang in there, okay? I'll stay on the phone with you." Then there was a beep.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe?" He looked at the phone. "The battery's dead!" She shouted again. He looked down. "The… the head's out!" That appeared to give her the boost she needed, and within the next minute he held his daughter in his jacket. "Well that wasn't so bad," he smiled, crying with joy. He handed her to Paige. Her own smile could have lit up a small town.  
  
  
  
"She's perfect…" she gently picked up her tiny hand. "Yes you are, yes you are," she kissed her curled up fingers. A few seconds later, a cloud of white lights deposited Leo in the office's back.  
  
  
  
"You two okay?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"The three of us are fine," Eric told him, standing back so he could see. Leo smiled. "Can you get them back to the manor? I'll follow with the car." He nodded and went to stand close to the new mother and child, the three disappearing together and reappearing in Paige's room at the manor, Paige and Helena lying down, Leo standing next to them. Piper and Phoebe came into the room a second later.  
  
  
  
"Hey guys, there's someone here who'd like to say hi… even if we're still connected…" Paige smiled. The two of them came over to welcome their new niece.  
  
  
  
"Sweetie I'm sorry we kept Leo away for so long," Phoebe told her, feeling really guilty. "I didn't think you'd end up delivering in the backseat of a car."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad to be home. I just hope no one heard us back there."  
  
  
  
"Well if someone had been there, wouldn't have they offered to help you guys out?" Piper pointed out, smiling at her little niece.  
  
  
  
"Got a point there," Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"How are you feeling?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Tired," Paige sighed, "But I guess that's normal, isn't it?" Her sisters nodded with remembrance. A few minutes later, Eric arrived and after all was settled, the women of the hour were allowed a needed nap.  
  
  
  
One week later, in late afternoon, Paige was sitting on the couch with Helena, playing 'Peek-a-boo'. It sure looked like she liked the game. She also loved her cousin Prue, and she was the only one she'd let tickle her. Phoebe returned to Madrid the day after Helena was born. It wasn't that she wanted to leave, but she needed to get back to Henry and Jason.  
  
  
  
"Hey Paige, I have to run out real quick to get some wine for dinner, can you watch Prue?"  
  
  
  
"Sure, no problem," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"Okay good. Prue! Can you come play with your aunt and your cousin?"  
  
  
  
"Okay!" Four seconds later, Prue orbed in. "I did it!" she squealed.  
  
  
  
"Yes you did! Very good! I am very proud of you," she hugged her. "Okay, I'll be back soon and we can celebrate more, deal?"  
  
  
  
"Deal!" She went to sit with Paige and Helena. Piper waved to them and left.  
  
  
  
"So Prue, how's Mr. Blacky?"  
  
  
  
"Sad…" she told her, though it didn't appear to afflict her.  
  
  
  
"How come?"  
  
  
  
"He got dumped," Prue announced matter-of-factly. If she'd been drinking something, Paige most likely would have either spit it out of choked on it.  
  
  
  
'That kid has a freaky vocabulary for her age,' she thought. "Hey, want to take over 'peek-a-boo' duties?" she asked ten minutes into their games.  
  
  
  
"Yeah!" Paige picked up Helena and placed her in Prue's lap and she held her baby cousin like a pro, using one hand to cover her eyes. "Peek…"  
  
  
  
The doors blew up and off the hinges, landing across the hall. Prue screamed, Helena cried and Paige stood.  
  
  
  
"Prue, orb, now!" she told her. The frightened child held on to her cousin and orbed them both upstairs into her parents' bedroom. She placed Helena on the bed and sprung for the phone, hitting speed dial for her mom's cell phone.  
  
  
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
  
  
"Demon! Demon! Demon!" she yelled.  
  
  
  
"Okay, I'm on my way!" Prue hung up the phone and took Helena again. She sat with her in the closet, closing the door and trying to calm the baby down.  
  
  
  
On the first floor, Paige went to confront the intruder. But before she could stop it, a warlock blinked in behind her and took her arms. She was about to orb when he rose a shield around the two of them. All she did was bounce around the edges before she reformed and was grabbed again.  
  
  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?"  
  
  
  
"Revenge…" She looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. The man who stood there though looked much different from the last time she saw him. He still looked evil, but now he had that insane spark in his eyes. "I told you this wasn't over, witch."  
  
  
  
"Martin. Wish I could say it's nice to see you again, but I just don't wanna."  
  
  
  
"Yes, well enough pleasantries, let's get down to business. I want you to reverse the spell you cast on Caelin." She laughed.  
  
  
  
"You must really think I'm dumb if you actually thought I'd do that."  
  
  
  
"See, I knew you'd say that," he grinned. He snapped his fingers and a third warlock walked in, pushing a bloodied, bound and gagged Eric.  
  
  
  
"Eric!" she gasped. "What are you doing?" she asked Martin, feeling her heart beat so fast it might have broke out of her chest. Eric was dropped to his knees in between Paige and Martin.  
  
  
  
"You took away the person I loved from me, and if you don't give her back to me, I'll take away yours. Simple, no?"  
  
  
  
"I can't do it," she cried. "It takes two sisters at least, and… Please, we have a daughter, she needs her father."  
  
  
  
"I… really don't see how that's my problem. So, how about that spell?" he clapped his hands together.  
  
  
  
"Don't do it!" Eric mumbled through his gag. Paige cried harder.  
  
  
  
"Tic Toc little witch, time's running out. In ten seconds I'll fry your boyfriend unless you say yes, starting… now."  
  
  
  
Paige looked at Eric. He looked at her. A silent signal told her to get smacking. She elbowed her guard, making him drop his shield and called for the ropes that held Eric bound. He jumped to his feet as they ran at each other. Martin was faster. He formed an energy ball in his left hand and tossed it. The ball hit Eric in the back. He burst in flame screaming, reduced to ashes in seconds. Paige fell back with a heart-wrenching scream.  
  
  
  
"We'll continue this in a while. Catch you later." One by one, the warlocks blinked out, leaving a distraught Paige to stare at the remains of what had been Eric Norwood, her love… She thought of Helena, only seven days old and orphaned of her father.  
  
  
  
"Paige?" She looked up, eyes red and swollen. "What happened?" Piper rushed to hug her sister. She immediately collapsed in her arms. "Speak to me, please?" her voice wavered, thoughts of the worst going through her mind. Then she saw the ashes. "This our bad guy?"  
  
  
  
"E-Eric!" she cried out.  
  
  
  
"What about him?" she asked, and then she understood, feeling heartbreaking pain for her sister, her niece, and poor Eric. "Paige… I'm… Tell me what you need, I'll help, okay?" she told her, knowing partly what must have been going through her mind.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, looking at her.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. Follow me." She helped her up.  
  
  
  
"No… I know what to do…" she announced, working through the pain for now, letting anger set in without regret. "But I need your help."  
  
  
  
"You got it."  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
What's mind is yours,  
  
What's yours is mine  
  
Let our powers cross the line  
  
I offer up this gift to share  
  
Switch our powers through the air  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
Madrid, short time later  
  
  
  
"Come on Henry, go to sleep, please? For Mommy? For Mommy's sanity?" she paced around with her eight-month-old son. He went on crying and she went on pacing. She loved Madrid, but she so missed home, having her sisters to help her out in situations like these. Jason had an important meeting very early in the morning, he needed his rest. So Phoebe alone was available to stay up to get Henry to sleep again. She didn't mind being with him that extra little while. She was just really… really tired.  
  
  
  
"Okay Henry, how about a story," she sat on one of the living room's couches, looking out on their pretty little balcony. It took a second or two for her to notice the white lights in the corner of the room. She observed it though, waiting for it to take form… "Piper?"  
  
  
  
"You need to come with me, back to San Francisco," she explained, working to keep a composed face.  
  
  
  
"Is everything alright?" she stood again.  
  
  
  
"No, everything is not alright. It's far from alright." It was then that Phoebe picked up on a certain detail.  
  
  
  
"Piper… How did you…"  
  
  
  
"Orb?" she guessed.  
  
  
  
"What's going on?" Piper was silent, not quite able to believe it.  
  
  
  
"Eric's… dead." Phoebe's jaw dropped.  
  
  
  
"W-What? How?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know who, all I know is there was nothing but ashes left." Phoebe turned a shade of green.  
  
  
  
"How's Paige?"  
  
  
  
"Not good. But right now she has a mission and that's all she needs for now."  
  
  
  
"What are you saying? And… you're orbing oh my… You switched powers!"  
  
  
  
"Shh…" Piper nodded toward the sleeping baby in Phoebe's arms. She set him down and approached her sister.  
  
  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
  
  
"She needed fire power to fix it, I gave it to her, simple as that."  
  
  
  
"But…"  
  
  
  
"No, Phoebe. We did the same thing. We had to avenge Prue by eliminating Shax, she needs to go after the bastards that killed Eric and if you have a problem with that…"  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll tell Jason I have go."  
  
  
  
"Thanks." Phoebe took Henry and went into the nursery to put him to bed, then headed to hers and Jason's bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she shook her husband's shoulder. A few seconds later, he was awake.  
  
  
  
"What's up?" he asked, sensing the sadness in her.  
  
  
  
"Something's happened back home, I have to go. It might be a good idea for you to find a way so that you and Henry can join us for a couple days, maybe a week or two."  
  
  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
  
  
"Eric was killed by a demon or… I don't know the details." He nodded.  
  
  
  
"I'll start making calls," he got up.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," she hugged him before returning to Piper in the living room.  
  
  
  
"Just so I know, what's the plan?"  
  
  
  
"We go home, we wait for Paige to ring my bell," she pointed to her head. "Then I get her, and we let her mourn him. There isn't really a right way to do this…" 


	4. Journey to Rebuild

San Francisco, at that time  
  
  
  
"Why do they always have to try and escape, don't they know that'll only make us kill them faster?" Martin asked his two cohorts. They had returned to his home after leaving the Manor.  
  
  
  
"What are you going to do now sir?" the one who held Paige, a warlock named Mike, asked.  
  
  
  
"Unfortunately, killing her boyfriend meant lowering our chances to get her to do it. That doesn't mean they're completely gone…" he sneered.  
  
  
  
"Would you like us to kill her, rely on her sisters?" Brent, the other warlock, suggested.  
  
  
  
"No… she will suffer more if alive… and that's what I want." The three warlocks laughed almost maniacally as they had their post-battle dinner of Chinese take-out. And then the door exploded into a million little pieces, leaving some flames dancing on the ground. The three stood ready to defend themselves. Smoke still hid the attacker.  
  
  
  
"Show yourself!" Brent ordered. Seconds later, he exploded as well, his remains splashing the others before hitting the ground. And then she stepped through the smoke. 'Little witch' had her mission statement laid out over her face. This wouldn't be pretty.  
  
  
  
"Who's next?" she asked, eyes pouring more than hatred, more than anger. Mike stepped up to the plate, throwing an energy ball at her. She ducked and it destroyed a clock on the wall. "Missed." They went through a back and forth of shots, missing again and again. Finally, she struck near his feet, he looked down and she struck again. He exploded and it was only Martin and her left. He was clapping his hands.  
  
  
  
"Congratulations." She looked up at him with a scary grin. He almost looked afraid suddenly. She froze him, then unfroze his head. "Now, now, let's not get hasty."  
  
  
  
"Why not? I have the advantage here." She let loose a blow, which only vanquished his hands and upper arms. He screamed. "Hey, you can't feel it, why are you screaming?" She unfroze him and he fell to his knees with an even louder scream. "Now it makes sense." She let him squirm for a bit, then put him out of his misery, blowing him up the rest of the way.  
  
  
  
She stood there for a minute or two, breathing hard and still seething. That all melted down to desperation as she remembered what had happened. She fell into a semi-fetal position as the tears began regaining her. She held her head up again though when she heard police sirens outside. Neighbors must have called in about the noise and screams. Her first thoughts was to orb out, and then she remembered… she'd traded that in for the other powers.  
  
  
  
"Piper!" she cried out, panicking now, "Piper! Help me…" Her sister soon appeared. Wordlessly she gathered up her sister and orbed her home, to her room. She helped her lie down on her bed, going next to her to let her cry as much as she needed to. She whispered the spell and returned their powers to their rightful owners as she gently rocked her sister back and forth.  
  
  
  
Downstairs, after placing the ashes in a box, Phoebe called Darryl and asked him to come over. Leo was there already, tending to the frightened Prue as Phoebe held her niece. She felt horrible for it, but part of her was glad it had happened now as opposed to later in her life. Helena wouldn't remember that day, it wouldn't haunt her. When Darryl arrived, she handed him the baby girl, leaving the explaining to Leo. Her sisters were back, she could feel it. And she was needed up there more. She went up to Paige's room. It hurt to see her this way. She didn't say anything, only joining Piper in supporting their sister. None of them could say anything. Piper and Phoebe sobbed for their broken and traumatized sister.  
  
  
  
Down in the living room, the children were asleep on the couch. Leo had taken Darryl aside and told what he knew. The officer was shocked to hear it.  
  
  
  
"Hey, if you guys ever need anything, you let me know, day or night…" he told Leo, the words bringing only small comfort to he policeman.  
  
  
  
"Actually… We're going to need a way to explain this to… whoever will come. A cop disappearing won't go unnoticed, will it?" Darryl shook his head.  
  
  
  
"Leave it to me," she told Leo before leaving the Manor.  
  
  
  
A week later, everyone was preparing for the funeral… everyone but Paige. She was still in bed, though fully awake. She hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time for the past week. She didn't speak much either, spent most of her time in bed, holding Helena close to her heart. She cried a lot, usually at night. She rubbed at the engagement ring Eric had given her two days after they'd decided to get married.  
  
  
  
Lying on her side, facing toward the window, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew who it was. "Piper, I can't do this…" she told her sister, voice cracking.  
  
  
  
"I know it's hard, I felt the same way when Prue died. It hurts, and it's going to keep hurting. There really isn't a right thing to say… Come on, Paige. We'll help you through this if you'll let us. You can't stay like this forever. It's not fair for you, or for Helena. And I don't think Eric would want you to suffer forever like this." Paige broke down and Piper hugged her.  
  
  
  
"I miss him so much…"  
  
  
  
"I know you do sweetie." Paige sat up, grabbing a kleenex and wiping her face dry.  
  
  
  
"I should get dressed," she stood. She stopped and looked at Piper. "I guess I should shower first," she told her, voice still weak.  
  
  
  
"Want me to dress Helena?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"No, I'll do it," Paige shook her head.  
  
  
  
"Alright, well if you need me I'll be downstairs." Paige nodded and Piper left. After her shower, Paige went to her closet, where her clothes for the day had been hung on the door. She slipped them on after drying her hair, deciding to leave it loose. She went to get Helena and dressed her.  
  
  
  
"Your father was a great man… and I wish you'd had more time to get to know him…" she whispered, picking her up. "It's not fair, and I wish I could change that… but I can't. All I can do now is try to keep his memory alive by telling you about him… about how much he loved you," she began crying again. "Today, you're going to meet your Grams and Gramps Norwood, and I know they'll love you just as much." Eric's parents had been hard to reach, and they'd been informed of their grandchild's birth at the same time as their son's death. They'd been on a sort of expedition for over a year, had come home only two days ago, and now they were being orbed to San Francisco from Chicago.  
  
  
  
There was a knock at the door and Phoebe came in. "Hey sweetie, they're here. Are you ready?" she asked slowly. Paige nodded and she walked out with Helena in her arms and her sister behind her. They went down the stairs and into the living room. Two people were there alone, a man and a woman who both had aspects of Eric in them. She had his eyes and he had his smile and ears. "I'll leave you guys to get acquainted," she patted Paige's shoulder for luck and left to join the others in the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"Hello Paige," Mr. Norwood told her. The two of them looked as stricken as she did, though on different levels. "It's good to finally meet you in person, although… I wish it were on another occasion." Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"Eric… talked about you many times, we feel like we already know you," Mrs. Norwood continued. Paige tried to smile, but it was still so hard. She took some steps forward.  
  
  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, and to present you… your granddaughter." The two tearfully looked down at her. She yawned and stirred in her mother's arms. The new grandparents smiled.  
  
  
  
"Can I hold her?" Mrs. Norwood asked.  
  
  
  
"Of course," Paige carefully handed her over. Mrs. Norwood looked at the infant in her arms and felt happiness for the first time in two days. She looked at Paige as though to ask a question, and Paige understood. "Her name's Helena." Mrs. Norwood smiled again.  
  
  
  
"She's just the most precious…" Mr. Norwood looked just as proud as his wife. He turned to Paige. "If we may ask… What name will she have?"  
  
  
  
"Well… we hadn't decided yet, not really. The obvious thing would have been for her to have his, or both… Now though…"  
  
  
  
"We wanted to suggest, if you don't mind, that she wear yours. You'll be the one raising her… and we'd feel the other way around would impose on you both something we don't want to force. It doesn't mean we don't want you in our lives, quite the opposite, in fact…" he turned to his wife as Paige took this all in, "We'd like for the two of you to come live with us… For as little or much as you'd like. We want to… we need to do something for you, and at the same time it would be an opportunity to get more acquainted." She held silent, to wait and see if he was done, as well as to absorb all he'd told her, and his request.  
  
  
  
"Wow… I…"  
  
  
  
"We realize it's very sudden, but we wanted to get it out of the way. If you need time to think…"  
  
  
  
"No, I've been thinking of taking some time away from home. This will be good for all of us." Before she knew it, Mr. Norwood was hugging her.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," he told her, tears dripping down his cheeks. It was somewhat comforting to her. Mrs. Norwood's eyes were getting more welled up by the second. The reunion went on for a few more minutes before the others came in.  
  
  
  
"Paige… it's time," Piper told her. She took Helena, who was now sleeping in her grandfather's arms, and turned to the group.  
  
  
  
"I know…" All filed out but Piper and Leo. They would orb to the car after taking care of one final detail. Taking Henry and Prue with them, they went up to the attic. The candles were already set up in a circle. Leo stood back with Henry in his arms and Prue at his side. She loved seeing magic just as she loved doing it. Piper lit the candles and stood back up.  
  
  
  
"Hear these words, hear my cry  
  
Spirit from the other side  
  
Come to me, I summon thee  
  
Cross now the great divide."  
  
  
  
White lights swirled in and came together to form Penny Halliwell. She stepped through the circle and her transparent self was replaced by a corporeal self.  
  
  
  
"Grams!" Prue squealed, running at her. She picked her up.  
  
  
  
"How are you darling?" she smiled.  
  
  
  
"Good," she nodded. Piper stepped up.  
  
  
  
"Thank you so much for coming. I'm a little surprised they let you come though."  
  
  
  
"Well I didn't really give them a choice," she shrugged. "How's Paige?" she asked, growing serious.  
  
  
  
"Not good. But that's to be expected." Grams nodded, putting Prue down and taking Henry from Leo. She'd been shocked to learn she had a grandson, but she adjusted. "We should go or they'll get there before us." She kissed Prue and they orbed off together. They arrived in the back seat of the car Jason and Phoebe rode in. Paige and Helena were riding over with the Norwoods.  
  
  
  
Many people came to the funeral. Other officers from Eric's precinct (including Darryl), separate and mutual friends of theirs, his family and hers… it was comforting in a way for her to know so many people cared about him. Although there was the part where less than twenty-five percent of those present knew the truth on the cause of his death. They'd put for a closed casket service, because if they'd opened it, all they would have found would have been a box of ashes when they thought there was a body.  
  
  
  
The cars pulled into the driveway and Paige watched still more people arrive. It was almost time for things to start. All the strength she'd managed to pull together was slowly dripping off of her. In the end they'd had to make her sit, she couldn't stand without her legs threatening to give way from under her.  
  
  
  
The service ran for a while, but she just couldn't focus. Her daze was coming again and she didn't know how to stop it. She cried throughout the various people coming up to speak about him. She couldn't go, would have just set one foot behind that microphone and she would have broke down harder. Then Darryl went up there, and she forced herself to try and listen. He'd been to visit her at least once, sometimes twice, a day in the past week.  
  
  
  
"Officer Eric Norwood was not just a great cop, a man who'd do anything legal to help the people who needed it no matter how long it took. He wasn't just a loving and caring man who spent as much of his free time as he could with the women of his life, his fiancée and his daughter. He was a friend, he didn't give up, he believed in people, could be depended on… And he will be greatly missed. Whether you came as a co-worker, family or friend, we can all feel the void he's left behind, a void we will try to fill, one I don't think will ever be really filled without him."  
  
  
  
He left the podium and walked toward his seat. Paige gave him a thankful nod. The speeches went on a little while and then time came to head to the cemetery. Paige was helped along as they went.  
  
  
  
Afterward, people came to give their condolences to Paige and the Norwoods before leaving. Left in the end were Paige and Helena, the Norwoods, Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Jason, and Darryl and his wife. "Ready to go home?" Piper asked her mourning sister.  
  
  
  
"You go ahead, I'll orb home," she told her. They nodded and left.  
  
  
  
Paige watched them go, afraid to look behind her, knowing what she'd see. A tombstone, reading 'Eric Joseph Norwood – May 3 1976 – April 12 2006' and so on, and a polished reddish-brown casket resting over a large hole, flowers laid on top. There was no way around doing this though, so she turned. Dry tears were joined by new ones.  
  
  
  
"Hey Eric… I wanted to say something back there but uh… I just couldn't… So, I'll do it now, okay?" she took a deep breath, looking to her slumbering daughter for courage. "I can't believe it's been a week already… It seems like just yesterday you were singing her a lullaby. I wish… I wish I'd been able to save you, and I know you'd say it wasn't my fault but… But I'm a Charmed One, damn it! I'm supposed to be so powerful, I save innocents on a daily basis… But I couldn't save you. Why is that? Why is that, uh?" She took a moment to relax, sensing Helena waking. "I'm sorry… I guess that's what I wanted to say. I'm sorry I wasn't more careful. And now all I can do to prove that is be there for Helena. She's all I have left of you and I promise, she'll grow happy and strong. And she'll know what a great man her father was. Me, I'll always miss you, and maybe one day I'll move on but I won't forget you… you'll always be in my heart." She finished, breathing and smiling briefly knowing a weight had been lifted. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medallion engraved with the triquatra, hanging on a chain. Helena, now awake, batted at it with her fist as she cooed. Paige kissed her forehead, then dropped the medallion in the hole before walking off, orbing away when hidden.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Two days later, Chicago  
  
  
  
"Here's your room," Mrs. Norwood led her in. "It was Eric's room since he was a baby and up until he left for college…" She felt the woman shudder with sadness. "We brought his old crib in from the garage," she pointed to a corner of the room. The sheets were new and pink, and the mobile displayed a lion, an elephant, a monkey, and a bear. The rest of the room was like a monument to times passed, all of Eric's belongings still in place.  
  
  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Norwood," Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"Please, call me Sherry," she placed a hand on her arm.  
  
  
  
"Okay, Sherry," she smiled. Sherry nodded.  
  
  
  
"Dinner will be ready in five minutes."  
  
  
  
"Oh, do you need a hand?"  
  
  
  
"That's very kind of you. Actually all we have left to do is serve, so…" Paige nodded. "I'll let you get settled in," she told her before leaving.  
  
  
  
Paige went to the crib and put Helena down. She gave her the teddy bear Prue had given her, 'Mr. Blacky's cousin Pinky'. After tucking the already sleeping baby in, she looked around the room. The walls were a light blue color with a border of tapestry placed about at the center of the wall. Most of it was covered with furniture or posters, but she could still make out the motif of colorful stars and swirls. The posters were mostly of movies, recent and more distant in time alike. She'd known he liked movies, but never at this length. It was a nice discovery. There was a window with a seat, and white blinds with a sunny yellow curtain pulled back. The bed looked comfy and worn in, but again the sheets were new. The furniture was minimal, a dresser, a nightstand, a desk and chair. The most prominent part was the bookshelf, filled with books of different size and type, all perfectly organized, as well as notebooks on the bottom of the six-shelved unit. On top there were boxes stacked to the ceiling, a step-ladder nearby. The closet had no clothes in it, but the shelf and floor were stacked with more boxes and such, some balls and bats and gloves (he'd played baseball for a long time), a guitar case… and one box that caught her attention in the back. She pulled it out and placed it on the desk. She'd open it later.  
  
  
  
Taking the baby monitor with her, she headed into the dining room, where things were all set out and Sherry was bringing in the plates. "Ah, just in time," she smiled. She sat, soon joined by the Norwoods.  
  
  
  
"Do you know how long you'll be staying?" Mr. Norwood asked.  
  
  
  
"Well… I'm cleared from work until September, so I don't know Mr. Norwood… Jack," she corrected herself. He smiled.  
  
  
  
"Excellent. You're welcome here for as long as you like." She nodded.  
  
  
  
"And if you'd like, you can come with me at the ship to work, I'll even pay you, and you can bring Helena."  
  
  
  
"What kind of shop is it?"  
  
  
  
"'The only magic shop in the city run by witches'," she recited proudly, "Though that's only the unofficial line."  
  
  
  
"Sounds great," she nodded, "I'd love to." They finished dinner, Sherry telling Paige about all the places she needed to know about in the neighborhood. After they were done, they watched TV for a while, and then Jack and Sherry went to bed. Paige watched TV a bit longer, and then went back to 'her' room. Helena was still sleeping, though knowing her, she'd wake up in the next two or three minutes. That gave Paige time to change into her PJs. When Helena woke up, she fed her and stayed with her until she slept again.  
  
  
  
At last she could find out what was in the box. It was locked. She wondered whether she should put it back, but Sherry had told her she could keep anything she wanted in the room, so technically it was hers. She held out her hand. "Key," she thought, her power having evolved enough that she didn't need to actually say the words anymore, only think them. The key orbed into her hand so she placed it into the lock and turned it, pulling the top of the big box.  
  
  
  
What she found inside made her smile. Worn notebooks, labeled vials and pouches carefully padded so they wouldn't break. She opened the first notebook.  
  
  
  
November 30th 1984  
  
My friends say diaries are for girls, but I don't care. It's not like they'll ever find it, or find out my secret, the fact that I'm a witch and I have powers and can do magic. Mom always says not to use it for personal gain, and I won't. But that doesn't mean there aren't things I can do. I'm not very good with my powers, but spells and potions I can do like nobody's business… at least that's what my mom says. My friends think my mom's a freak because she has a magic shop. They don't seem to have a problem with her at Halloween though. Our house is 'the coolest', simply because of the enchantments we put around on that night. I do sometimes wish there was a school I could go to where all the kids would be witches and I wouldn't have to hide from them, but that won't happen… I have to go to baseball practice.  
  
  
  
Paige went through the pages of the notebook. There were other entries, but most of all, there were spells and potions. That impressed her most of all. Some were variations on the ones she knew, some were identical (mostly potions). There were red and blue stickers here and there with numbers on them, corresponding with the vials and pouches in the metal box (blue for vials, red for pouches). There was also a list corresponding to boxes and packets of ingredients. It was quite remarkable.  
  
  
  
The next morning after breakfast and Jack's departure for work (he was a lawyer), she brought the box to Sherry. It gave her a smile and tears. "That was his pride and joy. He left it here when he moved out, because it belonged here. But I think you should take it."  
  
  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
  
  
"Yes," she nodded. "Well, we should get to work." The two women shared a smile and a hug. "I'm so glad you're here."  
  
  
  
"And I'm glad to be here."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
One month later, San Francisco  
  
  
  
"This one?" Prue asked, holding up an outfit on a hanger. Piper looked.  
  
  
  
"Sweetie, that's your bathing suit," she smiled. Her daughter looked at her as though saying 'And the problem with that is…'. "Why don't you put on your red outfit, the one she gave you last Christmas?" She thought it over and seconds later she was flying off to her room.  
  
  
  
"She's excited," Leo told his wife with a smile as he slipped on his shirt.  
  
  
  
"Well her auntie is coming home, what'd you expect?" she laughed, fastening her necklace.  
  
  
  
"True. When's her plane coming in?"  
  
  
  
"She should have landed by now. I asked if she wanted us to pick them up, but she didn't want to be a burden, so they're taking a cab."  
  
  
  
"I see," he got up. "Are you as excited as she is? Things have been pretty quiet."  
  
  
  
"Very excited, and you're right. It's like having the three of us spread out like this is too much of an inconvenience to attack. Good thing with the one flaw…"  
  
  
  
"You miss them," Leo filled in the rest of the sentence. Piper nodded and they hugged. "Well, you're getting one back now…" She grinned against his chest. The bell rang.  
  
  
  
"They're here! They're here!" Prue flew by the door, dressed in the red outfit as suggested. The two followed, still on the stairs when Prue opened the door.  
  
  
  
"AUNTIE PHOEBE!" she jumped into her arms. Phoebe laughed, attempting to stay up, squeezing her niece.  
  
  
  
"Hey you, my how you've grown! And I saw you last just a month ago!" she laughed.  
  
  
  
"UNCLE JASON!" she shouted and whispered at the same time, seeing Henry was sleeping in his arms.  
  
  
  
"How've you been? How's everyone?" he shook her hand. Phoebe put her down and Jason crouched to listen as the arriving Halliwell went to hug her sister.  
  
  
  
"Hey Piper, it's good to be back."  
  
  
  
"Good to have you back. Paige couldn't make it. It's too early to come back."  
  
  
  
"It's okay, I understand," she smiled. "She e-mailed me before we left Madrid and said she'd call tonight."  
  
  
  
They left the hall, going into the living room. The children went to play together. Henry was ten-months-old now and so far showed no magical abilities. Phoebe suspected he never would, and part of her was happy about that, knowing it could keep him from some dangers, but at the same time it could leave him vulnerable in an attack.  
  
  
  
"It's going to take some time for me to get used to the time difference again…" Phoebe rubbed at her face.  
  
  
  
"I'm pretty much used to it by now," Jason jumped in. Phoebe stuck out her tongue at him with a wink. Those two never really left the playfulness of their relationship behind, and were as much in love now as they were when they got together.  
  
  
  
"Are you going back to the Bay Mirror? What's going to happen there?" Piper asked her sister.  
  
  
  
"I'm going to take a few weeks to get settled back, but after that, I guess so. I've been away for a while, I don't know what'll happen."  
  
  
  
"I am still the boss, remember? Elise is already planning your 'triumphant return'," Jason told her. Phoebe laughed and kissed him.  
  
  
  
When she pulled back, she was hit by a premonition. She saw a group of demons circling three people, a guy in his mind-twenties, a woman in her late-twenties, and a girl in her late teens. She was able to see each of the five demons briefly before the vision ended. The others were looking at her.  
  
  
  
"Did they sense you come in, or something?" Piper asked as the four of them got up.  
  
  
  
"I'll watch the kids," Jason told them as the three went up the stairs to the attic.  
  
  
  
"What did you see?" Leo asked, stopping along with the two sisters when they walked in to see a large cloud of white lights materialize in the center of the room and took form into…  
  
  
  
"Them, I saw them being attacked," Phoebe reported.  
  
  
  
"Leo, we need help," the youngest of the two girls spoke up. Piper and Phoebe looked at him.  
  
  
  
"Lauren, Cara, Peter, what are you doing here?" he asked them.  
  
  
  
"We've been identified, the Elders told us to come to you," said Peter.  
  
  
  
"They did? But then…" he looked at his wife and sister-in-law. "Are they openly assigning you?"  
  
  
  
"As little contact as possible by their order," said Lauren, the older woman.  
  
  
  
"Leo, would you mind explaining to us what's going on? Who are these people?" Piper asked. Leo looked at the trio of newcomers, then at the two witches.  
  
  
  
"Well, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell, I'd you to meet Cara Mitchell, Lauren Small, and Peter Adams. They're whitelighters… more precisely, they're yours and Paige's children's whitelighters."  
  
  
  
"What?" Piper and Phoebe asked at once.  
  
  
  
"We've been watching over them since they were born, but as a rule we're not to reveal ourselves to them until they reach a certain age, we weren't supposed to be 'tagged' as such by any non-whitelighters," Lauren explained.  
  
  
  
"Only someone connected the dots and they started coming after us," Cara took over.  
  
  
  
"The demons I saw in my vision," Phoebe guessed. They nodded. "You're safe here."  
  
  
  
"We know," Peter smiled.  
  
  
  
"Well we should get to work…" Piper stepped up, and then stopped when a thought came to her.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, we won't need to bother Paige about this," Lauren assured her. Piper gave a 'how'd you know?' look. "You watch over a young witch long enough you get to know the parents too," she smiled.  
  
  
  
"You're Prue's whitelighter," Piper understood. Lauren nodded. Phoebe found a pad of paper and pen.  
  
  
  
"Okay, what can you tell us about the people who've been after you so far?"  
  
  
  
"There have been five that have been constant, more persistent," Peter spoke up.  
  
  
  
"I saw five too," Phoebe nodded.  
  
  
  
"There's two warlocks, a Stunner demon, a Harvester, and… a darklighter." At that, the four whitelighters in the room had a barely identifiable shudder.  
  
  
  
"Okay, let's see what the Book has to say about those two demons," Piper went behind the stand and started flipping pages. She knew next to nothing about Lauren and the other two, but knowing they had, were, and would watch over Prue and the other children made her want to protect them, no doubt Phoebe felt the same way.  
  
  
  
"I've seen you around," Phoebe told Peter.  
  
  
  
"That's possible. When they started coming after us I started checking on Henry more often."  
  
  
  
"So you're Henry's whitelighter…" Phoebe filled in. He nodded. "Which would make you Helena's?" she asked Cara. She nodded as well. "So does that mean Henry will have powers?" she turned back to Peter.  
  
  
  
"Guys, focus?" Piper brought them back to attention. "I found our demons." The group gathered. "We need a potion for the Stunner."  
  
  
  
"What are their powers?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Stunners aren't all that dangerous if you're going against them as a group, then you have someone to shake you out of it if it gets you," Cara explained, then seeing the others looking at her, "Just don't look in their eyes or you'll be tranced."  
  
  
  
"Hence the potion," Piper continued, "It should make him powerless against us."  
  
  
  
"Okay, what about the Harvester?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Harvester's the one you have to be careful about. He'll take your spirit, your powers… You'll still be alive, but you wouldn't know because it's just your body, you're stuck in his bottle until someone can get it back and stick you back in your body," Lauren explained.  
  
  
  
"The spell's here," Piper nodded and pointed to the book.  
  
  
  
"We need to try and get rid of the darklighter first, she's a major threat to more than half of us," Phoebe started.  
  
  
  
"Then Leo and I can take the warlocks, and you guys can handle the demons?" Piper suggested. All agreed. "Then I'll get started on the potion."  
  
  
  
"We'll go until it's time. Have Leo call us down when ready." Peter told them before orbing out, followed by Lauren and Cara.  
  
  
  
"Alright then, let's get going," Piper grabbed the Book and headed downstairs with Phoebe and Leo in tow.  
  
  
  
"We'll take out those guys there, but what happens then?" Piper asked Leo as she was finishing the potion.  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
  
  
"Will they be safe after that?"  
  
  
  
"We're never really safe, but it comes with the calling. We all know the risks. An attack like this might happen once or twice to a whitelighter, usually because of some charges in particular. But depending on how we do today, others will know to stay away."  
  
  
  
"So how many times has it happened to you?" Piper asked her husband. He didn't hear her though as he sensed something. "Leo?"  
  
  
  
"They're in trouble. The pack intercepted them by going after another one of Lauren's charges." Piper grabbed the bottles.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, time to go!" she called out.  
  
  
  
The three of them orbed to the whitelighters' location, hiding in a bush as they waited for their helpers. It wouldn't be long before the others picked up on their location again. Luckily Leo, Piper, and Phoebe arrived in time. Lauren seemed sad and angry. They looked to the side and saw the body of Lauren's charge hidden by a tree trunk.  
  
  
  
"Lauren, I'm sorry," Piper told her. The demons, warlocks, and darklighter appeared in the clearing. The whitelighter wiped at a tear and sprung out of hiding with the others forced to come along. There were no words needed as the darklighter stepped forward, drawing out her crossbow. She aimed at Lauren and fired. Cara pushed her out of the way and Piper blew off the shooter. Piper and Leo went for the warlocks, Phoebe and Peter took the demons.  
  
  
  
The demons engaged their attackers, doing their best not to get stunned. He grabbed Phoebe and she ducked her head.  
  
  
  
"Over here!" Peter called to it. He looked to him and stunned Peter. However with his head turned he couldn't stop Phoebe from throwing the potion at his feet. He dropped her, rubbing at his eyes fiercely. Grabbing a knife from her bag, she stabbed him and he disintegrated. Instantly Peter was freed from the spell, just as the Harvester aimed his bottle at Phoebe, drawing at her and sucking her dry, leaving her limp-bodied and eyes wide on the ground. He looked at Peter and took off running with a grin. He followed, tackling him and holding him down as best he could. He hit him, hoping it would keep him distracted enough that he wouldn't be able to disappear.  
  
  
  
Piper and Leo had better luck with the warlocks. They fought for a while, but Piper was the quickest, and they were discarded in a quick enough time. They noticed the Phoebe/Peter/Harvester situation and went over. "Peter, let go!" The whitelighter jumped off and Piper blew the demon up. She looked at her sister with a gasp. "Is she…?" Peter looked around shortly before finding the bottle, dropped when he tackled the demon. He handed it to Piper.  
  
  
  
"Here, say the spell," he instructed.  
  
  
  
"Harvested power,  
  
Return to owner." She pulled the top and streaks of light flew off in different directions, one diving down as it rejoined Phoebe. "Welcome back," Piper smiled. Peter looked for the others.  
  
  
  
"Cara!" he ran, seeing Lauren holding her where they'd fallen before. The other three followed. Pushing Lauren out of the way, she'd taken the arrow in the leg.  
  
  
  
"Cara, we can't touch it, you…" Leo told her. Sweating profusely, the young whitelighter nodded and was helped into a sitting position. With shaking hands she reached down and broke off the end of the arrow. Taking a few deep breaths and encouragement from the others, she pulled the arrow out with a loud scream. As soon as it had been thrown aside, Peter reached over and healed the wound.  
  
  
  
"Can we get out of here?" she asked, still out of breath. They smiled, Lauren hugged her as they orbed out in a bunch and returned to the Manor. 


	5. Progress

August 15 2006  
  
  
  
"Elise, I'm sorry but I can't come in today," Phoebe told her 'boss' on the phone. "I told you, I'm working from home today… It's my son's birthday… Yes, I'll have it on your desk first thing tomorrow morning." Jason came into the kitchen. "Okay, bye Elise!" she hung up with a sigh.  
  
  
  
"She giving you a hard time?" he smiled.  
  
  
  
"No more than usual," she turned to him, then pointed at the cake. "What do you think?"  
  
  
  
"I think if the writer business gets tiresome you can always become a baker." She grinned.  
  
  
  
"You're sweet. Is he dressed?"  
  
  
  
"Piper's taking care of it," he nodded.  
  
  
  
"Good. Any news from…"  
  
  
  
"Sorry… Maybe she's still not ready."  
  
  
  
"Yeah… I just miss her, and Helena…" she sighed. "Want to go up to Chicago this weekend?" she asked. Just then there was a scream from upstairs. Phoebe and Jason ran up to investigate. "Piper?" she called as they reached Henry's room. The spectacle before them quickly replaced worry with joy.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, look who's here," Piper laughed, taking her niece in her arms so that Phoebe could hug…  
  
  
  
"Paige!"  
  
  
  
"Not too tight!" she laughed. Phoebe pulled back crying happily.  
  
  
  
"Sorry, I just… I wasn't expecting…"  
  
  
  
"You didn't think I'd miss my nephew's birthday, did you?" Hearing her speak like this gave Phoebe even more joy… her sister was back, in every sense of the word.  
  
  
  
"Well I was starting to wonder," she hugged her again, holding out a hand for Piper to join them, careful not to squash the four-month-old in her arms. When they were all ready to, they let go and went down to Jason and Phoebe's living room where Leo and Prue were, just arrived from her swim lesson. When she saw her aunt, Prue squealed and ran at her, much like when the Deans returned from Madrid.  
  
  
  
"AUNTIE PAIGE! You're back! You're back!" Paige grinned, making sure not to drop her.  
  
  
  
"Yes, I am. How's my favorite niece?"  
  
  
  
"I'm your only niece!" she giggled.  
  
  
  
"Well you're very special," Paige put her down. Leo hugged her next.  
  
  
  
"Welcome back, Paige."  
  
  
  
"Thanks, it's good to be back," she smiled. The group moved to the dining room, where places were added for Paige and Helena, and lunch began. "I could have stayed much longer if I'd wanted it… But I realized that I'm okay now. I still miss Eric with all my heart, I still now and always will love him, but it was time I got my life back together. And Chicago was great but it didn't have my sisters, my brothers-in-law, my niece and nephew… so I cam back to the place that did," she smiled, seeing her sisters tear up.  
  
  
  
After lunch was over, they had the cake. Henry, in the glory of his twelve months of life, landed most of it anywhere but his mouth. Once they'd cleaned him up, they moved to presents, Prue, feeling that Henry deserved his own member of Mr. Blacky's family, presented him with B-Berry, a blue and white panda teddy bear who was Mr. Blacky's brother. When it was time to leave, Piper, Leo, Paige, Prue, and Helena packed in Piper's car (with Paige's belongings in the back) and headed for the manor. Leo took the kids and the bags inside as the sisters waited in the car.  
  
  
  
"Paige, you okay?" Piper asked. She turned to her.  
  
  
  
"I'm fine. Guess I'm still a bit nervous."  
  
  
  
"I'll be right behind you," Piper assured her. Paige smiled and nodded. They got out of the car.  
  
  
  
Walking up to the door, Paige felt her heart speed up. She pushed the door open and breathed in the familiar scents that came with the Manor as she walked in. She looked around, noticing the small carpet that lay over the spot where Eric had burned up end sprinkled down in ashes. She looked back to Piper.  
  
  
  
"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," she smiled. Piper smiled back as the two of them walked further down. Up the stairs, passing Prue's room where Leo was putting her to bed, and to Paige's room where Helena was already sleeping in her crib. Paige's things had been placed by the closet.  
  
  
  
Fifteen minutes later, changed into PJs and each holding a glass of wine as they sat in a living room couch, the sisters talked of the events of the past few months. They'd been talking the whole time, but it was mostly 'how are you'-typed conversations and nothing more. They'd felt awkward, unsure of what subjects they should and shouldn't bring up, leaving only vague talk and not much information passed on.  
  
  
  
"You met their whitelighters?" Paige asked in surprise. Piper nodded.  
  
  
  
"Just the one time. We don't know when they'll be coming 'for good'. Demons were after them because they were found out. Well, 2 demons, 2 warlocks, and a darklighter. Lauren lost one of her charges to them."  
  
  
  
"Lauren?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Prue's whitelighter. Henry's is a guy named Peter, and Helena's whitelighter is called Cara," Piper explained.  
  
  
  
"What's she like?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"From what we got to see of her, she's very nice. And brave too, she saved Lauren from the darklighter's arrow," she reminisced, "She looks pretty young, maybe eighteen or nineteen. Makes you wonder what happened that she's a whitelighter already."  
  
  
  
"Do you think I could meet her? I mean, you two did."  
  
  
  
"You can ask Leo," Piper shrugged. Paige nodded. "How'd you like staying with the Norwoods?"  
  
  
  
"Oh, it was great. I got the time away I needed, and I got to know Eric better," she smiled.  
  
  
  
"Good for you," Piper smiled back.  
  
  
  
"And I got to spend some time developing my magic," she told her.  
  
  
  
"Really?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, Mrs. Norwood taught me a lot, and I learned my share working around the magic shop. She even helped me develop my whitelighter-y abilities, gave me a real power boost," she grinned proudly.  
  
  
  
"Again, way to go," Piper smiled, holding her glass up. "Cheers to you." They struck glasses.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," Paige smiled back.  
  
  
  
"So are you going back to work?"  
  
  
  
"I called to tell them I was back, they said I could start up again any time between tomorrow and next week."  
  
  
  
"That's good."  
  
  
  
"Yeah. I'm gonna go to bed, I'm still sort of on Chicago time," Paige stood.  
  
  
  
"Alright, well how about I make us kind of a big welcome back breakfast tomorrow morning?" she asked her sister, who was already walking to the staircase.  
  
  
  
"Sure, if you want," Paige went up to her room.  
  
  
  
Once inside, she pushed the door as she dragged her feet to her bed and crawled in kicking the covers down and bringing them back over herself as she buried her head in her pillow. She touched the empty space, the empty pillow, and they returned. They… the tears she'd been so good at holding back all night. Yes, she was better, and she was ready to move on. But there were still times where bitter reminders that Eric was gone and never to return broke her into a million pieces all over again.  
  
  
  
And at the door, peering through the crack, her oldest sister saw that. She left it alone, knowing she'd be intruding on a moment she needed to go through. And so she went to bed, absently reaching for her husband's hand to hold through the night as she'd done for the past few months.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
December 16 2007  
  
  
  
"More!" Helena pointed to her bowl. Prue, now two months away from her fifth birthday, looked at her almost-two-year-old cousin, then turned to her mom.  
  
  
  
"Mom, can I?" she asked, swinging her legs under the table. "Please?"  
  
  
  
"Sure, just be careful not to drop it," Piper smiled. Prue hopped off her chair and went to the refrigerator. Using her one-step ladder, she got the bowl and carried it to the table. Pulling the lid off, she spooned some of the contents into Helena's bowl.  
  
  
  
"Here you go! Can you say 'thank you'?"  
  
  
  
"Thank you," Helena repeated. Prue had a proud smile as she returned the container and went to sit again.  
  
  
  
"Sorry I'm late!" Phoebe ran into the kitchen. She gave a quick peck to her nieces before turning to her sister.  
  
  
  
"Yeah well five more minutes and I'd be late to get to the restaurant on time. I have to find a new babysitter, I can't handle these last minute cancellations anymore," Piper sighed as she grabbed her jacket. She turned to Phoebe when she noticed she wasn't getting an answer. Her sister looked a little green. "Hey, you alright?" Phoebe looked up, and then ran out of the room, making a mad dash for the bathroom. Piper picked up the phone and dialed. "Hey Jimmy, I'm gonna be a little late, can you hold down the fort? Thanks." She hung up and looked at Prue. "Watch your cousin for a minute?"  
  
  
  
"Okay. What's wrong with Aunt Phoebe?"  
  
  
  
"Not sure, but I have a hunch." She went to stand outside the bathroom. "Phoebe, can I come in?" she knocked on the door.  
  
  
  
"Just a second," Phoebe responded and Piper heard running water for a few seconds then nothing for a few more before Phoebe came back into the hall. Seeing her sister's face, she knew there was no point in trying to hide it anymore. She took her hand and took her to the small bench near the front door. "Okay, I was going to wait until Christmas, but that doesn't look like it'll happen, so here goes… I'm pregnant." Piper smiled a huge smile, hugging her sister.  
  
  
  
"I knew it… Or at least I had a doubt. Phoebe, that's great news."  
  
  
  
"What's great news?" Paige asked, walking in at the last part.  
  
  
  
"How do you feel about a new niece or nephew?" Phoebe asked. Paige's jaw dropped.  
  
  
  
"Yes, please," she nodded. "Come here," she held her arms out for a hug.  
  
  
  
"How long have you known?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"About a week," Phoebe admitted.  
  
  
  
"And you didn't tell us? I'm hurt," Paige joked.  
  
  
  
"Jason and I wanted to take the opportunity of Christmas to made the announcement, but I think Piper knew enough to put two and two together just now, so…"  
  
  
  
"Does that mean we have to act innocent so you can tell us all over at Christmas?" Paige asked. "'Really, wow, I had… no idea'," she intoned.  
  
  
  
"We'll keep it between us and tell the others at Christmas," Phoebe laughed.  
  
  
  
"Fair enough," Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"When are you due? What do you know?" Piper questioned her sister.  
  
  
  
"Due in July, and we want to be surprised," Phoebe answered.  
  
  
  
Later that night, Piper and Leo were getting ready for bed when she turned to him and asked him a question she'd been turning over in her head for a few weeks, but that had been pushed to the surface by earlier events. "Honey, ever thought about having more kids?" He turned to her.  
  
  
  
"I don't know, maybe. Why?"  
  
  
  
"No reason. Just that… I've been thinking about it."  
  
  
  
"We had trouble enough just getting Prue… Are you sure you want to go through that again?" She looked down.  
  
  
  
"I guess you're right," she sighed. He went to stand by her.  
  
  
  
"Doesn't mean we can't try," he whispered in her ear. She looked at him and he winked.  
  
  
  
"I can get on board with that." Without another word he lifted her off the ground, causing her to erupt in laughter.  
  
  
  
Over at the Dean home, Jason was getting to bed, Phoebe sitting up on her side already, reading a book. "I told my sisters," she slipped the revelation in. Jason looked at her. "I didn't have a choice, they figured it out on their own." He smiled and she fake-frowned. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"  
  
  
  
"It's possible," he nodded. She batted at his arm.  
  
  
  
"That's not…" she started, and was promptly shut up with a slow kiss. "… fair." They smiled at each other, and Jason settled down on his pillow, reaching a hand over to run his fingers over her belly.  
  
  
  
"Hello in there," he whispered. Phoebe felt herself get emotional. Jason was an absolute sweetie when it came to Henry, and now this new baby. He became this whole new person. Not that he wasn't sweet the rest of the time, but this was different. And she loved every part of it. "I think it's a girl."  
  
  
  
"In this family, a boy is more of a shocker, so I'd tend to agree. Then again…"  
  
  
  
"My parents want us to come by Christmas Eve at eleven," he continued to patter at her belly.  
  
  
  
"Think they suspect anything?"  
  
  
  
"My Mom will probably figure it out if she gets enough time to look at you, so if we want to hold the news off, just hand her Henry as soon as possible." Phoebe laughed.  
  
  
  
"Mommy…" a small whimper drew their attention to the door. Henry stood there with B-Berry safely in his arms.  
  
  
  
"Aww, what's wrong pumpkin? Did you have a bad dream?" Henry nodded. "Come here." He ran over and she picked him up, placing him between Jason and her.  
  
  
  
"It's okay buddy," Jason pushed his pillow over so Henry could put his head down. "It's over now."  
  
  
  
Phoebe watched her men and it made her turn into a blubber ball, current occurrence recently. Putting her book aside, she turned off the lamp on her table. She settled down and placed her arm over her son.  
  
  
  
Eight days later, Christmas Eve… and Halliwell Manor was hot with activity. The Dean parents' home was flooded by a blown pipe four days ago, and the holiday times didn't help to get fixed in a hurry. Since then they'd been staying with Jason and Phoebe. And with that party ruined, they decided to relocate at the Manor. Mr. and Mrs. Dean, Jason, Phoebe, Henry, Leo, Piper, Prue, Paige, Helena, Darryl, and family, they were all there or on their way.  
  
  
  
Up in her room, Prue was buckling her shiny Christmas shoes, already dressed, hair brushed and all by herself. She got her cousin and flew them down into the kitchen. Her parents and aunt Paige were already there.  
  
  
  
"Mom, I'm ready," Prue announced.  
  
  
  
"And you look lovely. Now remember…"  
  
  
  
"No magic, I know," she nodded. "Right Helena?" The tot nodded as well. Much like Prue she had some whitelighter abilities. However hers were strictly of the orbing variety as far as they knew. She also had the power of premonition, though they hadn't figured that out right away. It had started with extra long moments of cries when she was a few months old.  
  
  
  
The first moment it had started to show she had visions she was ten months old. She was watching TV with her mother, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Suddenly she had one of her cries. Paige had figured out that placing her on the ground was the best way to calm her down. As soon as she'd been put down that day, she started to crawl away. Paige followed but didn't stop her. Then she stopped in the hall and pointed to the door. Paige was confused, but Helena kept pointing so she opened it. Lying on the steps was Pinky, her teddy bear. Paige went and picked her up, turning back to Helena as a drop of water fell on her cheek. Then there was another and another as it started to rain. Paige went and handed the bear to her daughter. The way she held it, and squeezed it… she'd known it would rain within seconds and poor Pinky would be soaked. She informed the others and over the next couple of weeks they gave hard attention to her cries, and every time, she acted out something precognitive, there were no more doubts.  
  
  
  
The preparations for the Christmas Eve party continued as the bell rang. "It's us!" Phoebe called.  
  
  
  
"Kitchen!" Piper called back. Shortly after Phoebe walked in, followed by Henry, who immediately went to his cousins, and Jason. At almost three Henry still had no powers to speak of. But after they'd found out they were pregnant again, they imagined that's who Peter was to look after more particularly.  
  
  
  
"Did you get the cake?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Right here," Phoebe held the box up. The phone rang and Leo answered.  
  
  
  
"Jason, it's for you, it's your father," Leo held out the phone. He took it.  
  
  
  
"Hello, Dad? Yeah, we just got here. No, that's not the right… Dad, it's Prescott… That's on the other side of… Okay, I'll run you through it again," he went to sit with the phone. The bell rang.  
  
  
  
"Can I get it?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Just remember to ask who it is," Leo told her.  
  
  
  
"Yes, Daddy," she told him before running off.  
  
  
  
"Who is it?" she asked the door.  
  
  
  
"It's Big Bear," a put-on voice informed her. She squealed and opened the door.  
  
  
  
"Hey Uncle Darryl!" He laughed as he walked in with his wife Sheila and their children Michael, Shana, and Bryan ages 11, 3, and 3 months.  
  
  
  
"Hey kid, how's it going?" he asked, crouching next to her.  
  
  
  
"Henry's Grams and Gramps are lost, they're last to come."  
  
  
  
"I see," he nodded.  
  
  
  
"Can I take your jackets and… you go wait in the living room," Prue recited from memory as best she could.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," Sheila told her as she and Darryl did as told and went off with Bryan.  
  
  
  
"Uh… Santa Claus left some presents for you and the others at our house," Michael told Prue, reciting a rehearsed speech of his own and holding up a large bag. Prue looked at it with shining eyes as Shana tried to get a hold of the bag her big brother was holding.  
  
  
  
"Wow…" Prue whispered, needing major control not to launch into some aerial flips.  
  
  
  
"I'll go give them to your parents, okay? You can take Shana?" She nodded and he went to the kitchen while the girls put the coats away. "Hello," he greeted the people in the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"Hi there Michael, where are your parents?"  
  
  
  
"Living room with Bryan," he responded to Phoebe's question.  
  
  
  
"I'll go say hi," Phoebe smiled, taking a couple of glasses with her.  
  
  
  
"I have the…" Michael started, holding the bag out without saying any more in front of Helena and Henry.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," Piper took it from him. "You're getting taller every time I see you," she remarked with a smile, "Pretty soon you'll be taller than me. Granted that's not very hard to do." He grinned.  
  
  
  
An hour later the group was chatting in the living room. The children (minus Bryan, who slept in his car seat on the table) were watching a movie. Michael took his role as eldest of the bunch importantly. The doorbell rang. Paige looked at Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"I'll get it," she got up to answer as her sister ran off into the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"What's going on?" Darryl asked Jason.  
  
  
  
"I don't know," he shrugged, following Paige to the door. She opened it.  
  
  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Dean, long time no see," Paige smiled. "Merry Christmas Eve."  
  
  
  
"Thank you… Paige, right?" Mr. Dean asked. She nodded and he smiled. "I never forget a face, or the name that goes with it." She smiled again.  
  
  
  
"I told you riding with us would be a good idea," Jason greeted his mother with a smile, a hug, and a kiss on the cheek.  
  
  
  
"Tell that to your father," she laughed. "Now where's my grandson?" As though on command, or at least voice recognition, Henry came running into the hall. Mrs. Sharon Dean picked up the boy and proceeded to give him a thousand kisses on his rosy cheeks, making him giggle. Jason smiled and looked toward the kitchen. Phoebe's head was peaking out and she made silent 'Get them in the living room, please?' hand motions.  
  
  
  
"Why don't we move into the living room, that's where the action is," he herded them there. Introductions between the Morris and Senior Dean families followed. At last Phoebe returned, giving Jason his cue to meet up with her. "Can I have your attention please?" All stopped their chatter and turned to them. "Before we go any further, Phoebe and I would like to make an announcement." Sharon perked at this, like a puzzle was assembling itself in her head. "We're expecting our second child." The crowd went wild with congratulations and hugs. Even the children, despite not all knowing what that meant joined in.  
  
  
  
Shortly after, Piper and Paige were in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner. Phoebe was trapped in question land now that the cat was out of the bag about her second pregnancy.  
  
  
  
"I hope they won't move again," Piper told her sister as she checked on the dessert.  
  
  
  
"What makes you say that? Did Phoebe say anything?"  
  
  
  
"No, no, it's just it's been a while and well I didn't like being away from her for so long. I don't want it again," she shrugged with the tiniest hint of a shiver. Paige noticed.  
  
  
  
"I'm sure they won't." Piper looked at her.  
  
  
  
"That's not it," she grabbed her hand. "It's just…" she went into a hug with her, quickly moving to whisper something in her ear. "There's someone here."  
  
  
  
"What?" she whispered back.  
  
  
  
"A demon, hidden… can't you feel it?" Paige stopped to check. She felt the chill.  
  
  
  
"Yeah…" They parted.  
  
  
  
"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" Piper teased. On command, a female demon materialized in the middle of the kitchen. "Merry Christmas Eve," she teased again, readying her mind to blow her up. But before she had the time to raise her hands, she blew out screaming and burning, leaving a scorch mark on the floor. Before they could react, they heard a lot of hurried footsteps coming. Paige moved to stand over the spot on the floor as the guests came in.  
  
  
  
"Are you girls alright? We heard screaming, and… Do I smell smoke?" Mr. Gregory Dean asked.  
  
  
  
"No, that was me, I thought I'd cut myself, but… I didn't," Paige rambled.  
  
  
  
"And uh, it's just a match I lit," Piper explained the already dissipated smoke. They returned to the living room. Phoebe stayed behind.  
  
  
  
"What really happened?" Paige stepped off the scorch. "A demon attacked?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah… guess they don't take holiday breaks," Paige sighed.  
  
  
  
"Well at least you vanquished him," Phoebe told them.  
  
  
  
"Actually, it was a she… And I'm not sure we're the ones who did the vanquishing."  
  
  
  
"No… we did. I did, I felt it," Piper calmly explained.  
  
  
  
"But how, you didn't even raise your arm…"  
  
  
  
"Maybe my power's progressing," she smiled. "About time…" 


	6. Apparition

Five months later  
  
  
  
"Doug, table 5's getting loud, how's the veal coming along?" Piper asked one of the chefs.  
  
  
  
"It's… done," he finished up the plates.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she grabbed them and handed them to Tanya, table 5's waitress.  
  
  
  
"Thanks Piper," she sighed and carried them out to the dining room. The poor girl looked this close to a nervous breakdown. The couple at table 5 came very week, same day same time, and continuously gave the waiters, waitresses, and chefs a hard time. But they took large meals and paid in consequence, so there was not much they could do.  
  
  
  
"Hang in there!" she called after her.  
  
  
  
"Piper, phone for you," Doug held up the receiver. She wiped her hands and took it.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she smiled. He nodded and went back to work. "Hello, this is Piper."  
  
  
  
"Piper! Guten tag! Wie geht es Ihnen?" a familiar voice cheerily intoned.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, hey!" she smiled. "What's going on? Are you alright?"  
  
  
  
"Everything's fine, I just called to say hi," she laughed. Then there was another voice in the phone, somewhere near Phoebe, another familiar one… it was the man from table 5. She dropped the phone and ran out of the kitchen. Sitting at table 7 was her extremely pregnant little sister. Piper walked toward her as she got up with the expected difficulty.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, you're back from Hamburg already?" she cried as she hugged her.  
  
  
  
"Jason and I decided that we wanted the baby to be born here and not in Germany."  
  
  
  
"That's the best thing I've heard all day, all week. You're really…"  
  
  
  
"Huge, I know. And I'm only six-ish months along, imagine what it'll be in three months…"  
  
  
  
"Maybe you should sit…" Piper got her back to her chair. "I'll be on my break in ten minutes, then we can talk? You hungry?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"Mmm, pasta?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"Coming right up," Piper went back in the kitchen. Ten minutes later she returned. Phoebe was eating and talking, Paige sitting next to her. "What are you doing here?" she smiled.  
  
  
  
"She called me," Paige explained.  
  
  
  
"Sisterly lunch, first in three months, couldn't pass it up," Phoebe smiled.  
  
  
  
"I agree," Piper nodded. Shortly after all three had plates, and glasses and the talking began, not to end for a good two hours.  
  
  
  
Phoebe talked about her experience in Hamburg over the past three months. She told her sisters how proud she was of Jason and what he did. She loved that he could juggle his work, spending time with his son, his wife, and baby talking to his second child inside his wife, never neglecting any of them. She talked about how much Henry was growing, and how much he looked like his father sometimes. Then as she figured it would, subject turned to the new niece. The baby was apparently very active.  
  
  
  
Paige talked of her work and how good it felt to be back, to be helping. She still attended to her witchly duties as best her time allowed. She too had 'getting so big' sad feelings about Helena. She was already two years old… it had been two years since she'd lost Eric. On those two anniversaries she remained alone with Helena, stayed home from work and went with her daughter to visit his grave. On the last one just last week, she had a feeling as they stood in front of the tombstone that Helena was starting to understand. She knew this was a person her mother missed. Paige thought it wouldn't be long before she figured out this was someone special, this was her father.  
  
  
  
Piper was every bit the proud mother. Prue was her little angel girl. She was everything she'd dreamed about when she wondered what her child would be like. At five years old she impressed her mother and father more and more as days went by. Her ability to control her flying was astonishing, and although they hadn't tried it yet, she could soon orb to somewhere outside the manor. She talked about how glad she was to be back as a chef, and how she didn't regret her club experience one bit. And of course there was Leo, who she loved as much now as ever. They had rough patches here and there, but not in over a year.  
  
  
  
"Well, I'd love to stay and talk more, but I have to get back to work," Piper got up.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I overstepped my lunch time," Paige joined in.  
  
  
  
"And I have to get home and start unpacking," Phoebe finished.  
  
  
  
"Say hi to Jason and Henry for us," Paige told her.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Two months later, June 16 2008, 10:37PM  
  
  
  
"Piper look out!" Paige called as she tried to get up after being thrown into some boxes on the other side of the attic. The demon got there too soon though and he grabbed Piper. Paige held her arm out and her sister disappeared in a veil of orbs and landed at her side.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Piper breathed as they helped each other to their feet. "Get the spell, I'll distract him," she whispered and Paige nodded. The demon was immune to her powers, something she hadn't been too pleased to discover. "Hey Hulk, over here," she blew something beside him. He may have been immune to her powers, but an explosion at close proximity still was able to knock him off his feet. While Piper continued to knock him down, to the cost of a lot of furniture and a window, Paige went to the Book and found the piece of paper hanging between two pages.  
  
  
  
"Piper, I got it!" she called out. Making a big piece fall on the demon's head, she joined Paige at the podium. They recited the spell and the demon exploded, spraying insane amounts of yellow goo over the room and two-of-three Charmed Ones.  
  
  
  
"Eww, filling!" Paige laughed at her sister's comment.  
  
  
  
"Relax, I got it," she breezed, spouting her oft-used 'object of affection' spell. The goo slowly disappeared. "Better," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," said Piper as the phone rang. "Hello? Oh, hey Jason, how's… She is? Okay, we'll be there in a couple seconds."  
  
  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
  
  
"Is Leo watching the kids?" The demon had grabbed her outside the restaurant and transported here to try and force her to say a spell for him. Luckily Paige was already in the attic, working on the spell after Phoebe had called to report the premonition that had predicted it all.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, don't worry. Now why did Jason call?"  
  
  
  
"Phoebe, labor, orb now," Piper instructed her. She didn't have to be told twice and off they were, arriving in Phoebe's room.  
  
  
  
"Piper, Paige!" she cried out when she saw them. They immediately went to her side.  
  
  
  
"We're here sweetie," Piper reassured her.  
  
  
  
"It's early… what if…" she whimpered.  
  
  
  
"It's only a few weeks, I'm sure everything will be fine," Piper took her hand. Phoebe nodded. "Now how long has it been going on?"  
  
  
  
"At first we thought they were false alarms, but if they weren't then it's been about 14 hours," Jason explained.  
  
  
  
"Okay, we should get set up then," Paige went to get what they'd need and checked on Henry to see if he was still sleeping and he was.  
  
  
  
It was four hours later, in the wee hours of June 17th that Piper was able to give some good news to her weary sister.  
  
  
  
"You're almost there, I can see the head, it's almost… it's out. The head's out, you can do it!" One shoulder, then another, and the rest came along. "It's a girl," she cried happily. All were smiling as the cord was cut and Piper started cleaning up her new niece. And then…  
  
  
  
"Piper! Something's going on!" Phoebe yelled, gripping Jason's hand again. Piper and Paige shared a look as the elder Halliwell passed the baby over to her youngest sister and looked under the blanket.  
  
  
  
"Guys, you're not gonna believe this…"  
  
  
  
"What is it?" Jason asked.  
  
  
  
"There's… there's another one coming!"  
  
  
  
"What?" Jason and Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Twins?" Paige asked with a big smile.  
  
  
  
"Would seem that way… Okay Pheebs, give me one more great big push like the last one," Piper instructed, throwing shock aside and resettling in focus. A minute later, three after her sister, Phoebe's second daughter was born and in the arms of her aunt Piper. "You sure surprised us," she cooed to her as she cleaned her up.  
  
  
  
"We gotta tag them so we don't mix them up," Paige told her as she looked around the room. They had blankets laid out and she grabbed two. "Number one in the pink blanket, two in the green," she recited to herself, handing Piper the green blanket. The infants, now clean and warm, were placed in their mother's arms.  
  
  
  
"We only had one name picked out," Phoebe laughed and cried at the same time. She looked down at the newborn in the pink blanket. "Emily Cassandra Dean, we need a name for your sister, don't we?" She thought for a minute, recalling what they'd considered. Tipping her head to the side, she whispered in Jason's ear. He smiled and nodded. She looked at baby-in-green. "My little surprise… Little Charlotte Brianna Dean." Piper and Paige were both bawling and reaching for the Kleenex box with great big smiles. The phone rang. Piper picked it up as she wiped some tears away.  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
  
  
"Piper? Is everything alright?" Leo asked when he heard her sniffling.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, everything's fine. Oh! We forgot to tell you were leaving, I'm sorry honey."  
  
  
  
"It's okay, I was just worried. I sensed you were both at Phoebe's only I couldn't wake up the kids and bring them along in case there was danger over there. So why are you crying?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Because I just delivered my new nieces, that's why," she explained.  
  
  
  
"Nieces?"  
  
  
  
"Oh yeah, turns out she was having twins. I'm a little over-excited right now."  
  
  
  
"I see that," he laughed.  
  
  
  
"So we'll be back in a little while if that's alright," she asked, looking at those little girls… they looked so much alike.  
  
  
  
"No problem, just as long as you're back before Prue wakes up…"  
  
  
  
"Oh I wouldn't dream of putting you through that tantrum. I'll be there."  
  
  
  
"Thanks. Tell Phoebe and Jason I'm happy for them."  
  
  
  
"Will do. Night honey. I love you!" she spoke sweetly to him.  
  
  
  
"I love you too." Piper hung up and turned back to the group.  
  
  
  
"Leo says Congratulations," she told Jason and Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Phoebe yawned. Jason brushed the hair off her face.  
  
  
  
"You're tired, you've had a long day. Get some sleep?" She looked down at her girls for a good long while… so beautiful, so perfect… She kissed their foreheads and gave Jason a nod. He picked up Emily, the first time, placing her in the crook of his left arm, followed by receiving Charlotte on the other side as Phoebe placed her. He got up and started out of the room. "Come on girls, I'll show you to your room. You'll have to share a crib for now, but you were this close for so long one night or two more will be fine. Right?"  
  
  
  
"That's one fine man you have there," Paige sighed as she watched him go. "And cute kids to boot." Phoebe smiled.  
  
  
  
"I just hope I can handle this. I wasn't planning to have two babies to care for at the same time," Phoebe told her sisters.  
  
  
  
"What if I stayed here for a little while? Until things get settled down, routine and everything. That is if you don't mind having two houseguests for a little while," Paige suggested.  
  
  
  
"And I'll come by whenever I can," Piper told her. "And others will love to help I'm sure. You're in good hands and so are they." Phoebe started crying again.  
  
  
  
"Thank you." Around six in the morning, Piper and Paige left. Phoebe had been able to get a couple hours of sleep, then a few more after. Jason took care of Henry while she slept. At eight she got up and went to see her girls. They were sleeping, side-by-side. Emily's pink blanket had been replaced with a pink dot on her diaper, same in green for Charlotte. She couldn't take her eyes off them they were like sleeping angels. They barely had any hair, mostly fuzz, and they looked so fragile and healthy at the same time. Charlotte started fussing so Phoebe picked her up. "It's okay baby, Mommy's here," she whispered.  
  
  
  
A few days later, the Deans, now a family of five, arrived at Halliwell Manor, where the girls would get to meet some very special people.  
  
  
  
"Hey guys, come on in," Piper greeted them at the door. "Aren't they adorable?" she smiled, looking at her nieces, dressed in outfits their grandmother Dean gave them. She'd sent about five of them, and two were in the now "official" colors of the girls, so they were put in them and looked as cute as ever. Piper picked up Emily so Phoebe could balance Charlotte better. A shopping spree for the new little witches had been planned for the next day.  
  
  
  
"Are they here yet?" Phoebe asked as they walked into the living room for a bit.  
  
  
  
"No, we figured we should wait for you," Piper explained.  
  
  
  
"Great. Where is everyone?" As a response, four clusters of white lights drifted into the room and deposited Paige, Leo, Prue, and Helena. As soon as she'd hit the ground, Prue ran for the TV and tapped the side.  
  
  
  
"I win! I win!" she bounced around. Piper laughed.  
  
  
  
"Sweetie, please no more orb races, okay?" She gave a pout. "I mean today, not forever. Just as long as you're careful," she gave a look to Paige and Leo. Prue perked up, even more so when she noticed her new cousins were there. Helena, now three, was just as curious.  
  
  
  
"Sorry Piper, I forgot what time it was," Paige breathed, looking at the people gathered. "We should go. You know how she hates to wait," she rolled her eyes with a smile.  
  
  
  
"Okay, let's go," Piper started ahead of the group still carrying her niece. "Emily, you're going to see something really special, like you are. Probably won't remember it but that's okay," she told her, going up the stairs to her own room, where they'd set up.  
  
  
  
"I'm not sure what's going to happen here," Jason whispered to Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"You'll see," she whispered back. Paige stepped forward.  
  
  
  
"Hear these words, hear my cry  
  
Spirits from the other side  
  
Come to me, I summon thee  
  
Cross now the great divide."  
  
  
  
The circle of candles she'd just lit now welcomed the ghosts of Penny and Patty Halliwell. "Welcome," Phoebe smiled. The elder Halliwells stepped out of the circle, corporealizing as they passed the invisible barrier.  
  
  
  
"Darling, I'm so proud of you," she placed a hand on Phoebe's cheek as the two of them smiled. Patty cleared her throat. "Y-yes," she stepped back. "We have a… sort of surprise for you girls. The rest of us will step out and we can… talk more later." The sisters looked at their grandmother like she needed to take medication for a second, the cryptic act being more confusing as word after word was added. Penny and Patty took their great-granddaughter and granddaughter respectively and walked with the others, the three walking children feeling confused as well. Penny, with Charlotte, was in the back.  
  
  
  
"Uh, Grams, what's this all about?" Phoebe asked.  
  
  
  
"Something you've had to wait long enough to get. You'll see." She closed the door.  
  
  
  
"Something weird is going on," Paige squinted her eyes.  
  
  
  
"What I'd like to know is why we had to be here… alone," Piper looked around.  
  
  
  
That's when it happened. In the circle of candles another bundle of lights started appearing, swirling, forming into a person, another ghost. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned to see who was coming. The figure was a woman, dark hair, sparkling blue eyes and a warm smile. Her hair and flowing white dress moved as the form settled, transparent but unmistakable in its identity. That fact was very much obvious as the three out of the circle watched her like she was a mirage, an awful deception that would disappear as soon as you reached out to touch it. But temptation to believe pushed through the blur to let Phoebe speak the apparition's name.  
  
  
  
"Prue?" She stepped out of the circle, corporealizing just as the others had.  
  
  
  
"It's good to see you Phoebe… in person anyway," she continued to smile. That was good enough for the once-youngest Halliwell. She stepped up to her and carefully placed a hand on her arm… contact. Phoebe started to cry as she hugged her sister.  
  
  
  
"Prue… I can't believe it…" Phoebe spoke through her tears. Piper looked at them, all those attempts to bring her back, the sadness and anger… they all flooded back in. Sure she hadn't been responsible for her presence, she was still gone, yet a huge weight had suddenly flown out the window. She took the steps and put her arms around Phoebe and Prue, the 'original' Charmed Ones together again. The other two placed an arm around Piper so that each sister had an arm around each.  
  
  
  
"Piper, Piper… I know how much pain… I saw… I'm sorry…" Prue whispered.  
  
  
  
"It's okay, that was a long… long time ago now…" Piper cried.  
  
  
  
Standing behind them, Paige felt lonely. The three of them grew up together, they knew each other. To Prue, she must have been this total stranger… Prue was a stranger to her. She was her sister, she'd desperately wanted to know her, but what would happen? While she'd been trapped in her contemplations, Prue had reached out one arm and grabbed hers. Paige broke out of her 'trance' and joined the hug, arms slung around Prue and Phoebe and for the first time in their lives, Patty Halliwell's daughters were together.  
  
  
  
It was a solid few minutes, maybe ten before they let go of each other. "I don't understand…" Phoebe started, still crying.  
  
  
  
"They told me I couldn't see you for a while, and that pissed me off. I told them 'You want to keep me away from them, I can't do anything about it, but give me one day. Maybe in a couple years, but at least give me one day!' So they told me after a while I could be allowed visits. After all we did for them, after what you're still doing, some sisterly time isn't too much to ask, right?" she asked them with a smirk. She turned to Paige. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you."  
  
  
  
"That's very mutual," Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"There's so much to talk about…" Prue started.  
  
  
  
"Prue…" Piper spoke slowly.  
  
  
  
"What is it?" she asked. Piper laughed.  
  
  
  
"No, I didn't mean you," she nodded her head to behind her. Prue (1) looked back and saw little Prue (2) standing in the door. Prue (1) smiled a great 'proud ghost aunt' smile, walking up to the girl and kneeling before her.  
  
  
  
"I know who you are," Prue (2) told her.  
  
  
  
"You do?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, you're my aunt. I'm named after you."  
  
  
  
"And it's a very good name," Prue (1) told her.  
  
  
  
"How come you never came before?"  
  
  
  
"Well…" Prue (1) tried to think of an answer that would be more appropriate than 'I'm dead and haven't been allowed to do so before'.  
  
  
  
"Are you really a… ghost?" Prue (2) whispered.  
  
  
  
"Pretty much," Prue (1) nodded. Prue (2) reached out and lightly poked at her shoulder. When her hand stopped there, she looked at her aunt again. "That's what I mean." Prue (2) smiled and threw her arms around her aunt's neck. Prue (1) put her own arms around her niece and lifted her while standing back up. "You and I have a lot of catching up to do." Prue (2) nodded.  
  
  
  
Watching the whole exchange from the other side of the room, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were recovering from the shock of Prue (1)'s visit, and now seeing the 2 Prues this way made them even more emotional.  
  
  
  
Downstairs, the group was waiting. Prue (2) wanted to see her mother, and Penny all but marched her up the stairs herself, so she was allowed back up. Grams Penny and Nana Patty were busy with their new granddaughters anyway. Penny held Charlotte.  
  
  
  
"She's so precious," she let the baby grasp her finger.  
  
  
  
"Are you having problems remembering which is which?" Patty asked, rocking a sleeping Emily in her arms, looking at Jason. The poor guy was still adjusting to the knowledge that his wife's deceased mother and grandmother were holding his daughters.  
  
  
  
"We've tried to make sure they were wearing something in those 'assigned' colors, but this morning while dressing them Phoebe noticed Emily has a spot near her elbow, and Charlotte has one on her neck, so it's made it easier on us. Now we'll be able to dress them in any color…" They laughed.  
  
  
  
"What's going on up there?" Leo asked, seeing Helena and Henry were getting antsy for their mothers' returns as well.  
  
  
  
"You'll see. It shouldn't be long now," Penny told him, never taking her eyes away from Charlotte. "These girls will have power… A power rare among us for obvious reasons…" she spoke quietly. Before they could ask what she meant, Prue (2) came flying down the stairs.  
  
  
  
"Daddy, Daddy!" she squealed. One by one, Patty's girls came down the stairs. Paige, Phoebe, Piper, and finally Prue (1). The others whether they knew her from life or pictures and stories welcomed her and celebrated the long-awaited reunion.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
May 21 2009  
  
  
  
"Mommy, are we there yet?" Helena asked Paige from her seat in the back of the car.  
  
  
  
"Almost there babe," Paige assured her. Today they were returning to Halliwell Manor after living with the Deans for nearly a year. Helena, now 3 years old and an active little 'firecracker' had loved the experience, being with her cousins Henry, Emily, and Charlotte. But now she missed her cousin Prue, her aunt Piper and uncle Leo, and her room.  
  
  
  
"Is Prue gonna be there?" she asked, squeezing Pinky the bear.  
  
  
  
"No, she's at school, remember?"  
  
  
  
"Oh…" she lowered her head. Paige laughed.  
  
  
  
"But I'm going to be here, remember? And I'm taking you to Grandma Sherry's this afternoon." Two words, Grandma Sherry, were an effective pout-be-gone for Helena.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. But you and I have the morning to ourselves." Her daughter became excited and she grinned. A few minutes later, they pulled up to the Manor and Helena started squirming in her seat, trying to get out. "Hang on, hang on," Paige got out and 'freed' her, carrying her up the stairs and through the door. She placed her down and right away she started up the stairs. Paige went back to the car and got their bags. She left them in her room and went to see what Helena was up to. When she got in the room, she was bouncing on her bed. Paige walked up to her and Helena leapt into her arms, nearly making her fall. It made her laugh again. Helena always had that way of getting her to laugh, much like Prue did for Piper. "Easy there Froggy." Helena got back to her bouncing.  
  
  
  
"Mommy?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"Yes Froggy?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"How come I don't have a Daddy?" Paige hadn't expected that.  
  
  
  
"Well…" she started.  
  
  
  
"Allie's daddy and mommy are div… div…" she tried to remember the word. Allie Pratt was a girl living across Prescott Street with her mother, and she was Helena's best friend.  
  
  
  
"Divorced?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah! But she still sees him. Why doesn't my Daddy come?" she stopped bouncing. "Doesn't he love me?" she asked, her voice shaking. Paige hugged her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Your Daddy loved… loves you very much. Never forget that."  
  
  
  
"So why isn't he here?" Helena squeezed tight, her voice growing tiny.  
  
  
  
"How do I explain this?" Paige asked herself. She pulled back, looking into her little brown eyes and holding her hands. "You know how Grams and Nana and Aunt Prue are different?" She nodded. "Well your Daddy is kind of like that. And he might want to visit, but he can't do it yet. Do you understand what I mean?" Helena nodded again. Paige sat on the bed and placed Helena on her lap.  
  
  
  
"What's he like?" Helena asked, putting her head on her mother's shoulder.  
  
  
  
"He's very kind, funny, he loves us both very much and he always found a way to show that to us. You know… the day after I told him you were coming, after your cousin Henry was born, you know what he did?" Helena shook her head. "Well I guess you wouldn't… I woke up that morning and he'd been waiting there. He went out practically at the crack of dawn to bring me a whole lot of flowers. They were all over the place and sometimes I just stand in that room and I can still smell the roses, daisies, lilies, all the different types he'd found. And he'd made me a special breakfast 'to give you both strength and health', and he insisted that I not have to lift a finger, that day was a special day and I should be treated like a queen, because that's who I was to him. And you were his little princess. He was one of the best things in my life and everyday I wish he could be here with us…" Paige looked down and saw Helena had fallen asleep. She smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's get you to Grandma's." She orbed them over to the Norwood home in Chicago.  
  
  
  
Returning to San Francisco after dropping off Helena, Paige went to a store. She didn't have to be at work for a few hours. She came back home a half hour later and quickly got to work. She gathered pictures… Some of her as a little girl, older and older, same with Eric, pictures of the two of them together, before and during the pregnancy. Then, all the snapshots courtesy of camera-happy aunt Phoebe of that week the three of them had together before he was killed were added to the box. Finally, she put in pictures of Helena, with Paige or someone else or alone from the past three years.  
  
  
  
When she was satisfied, she settled at the dining room table with her purchases and the box of pictures. She took out the big photo album she'd bought. On the black cover she traced the name 'Helena' fancily with the golden marker she'd brought. The first few pages were marked 'Mom'. There she put the pictures of herself from infancy to adulthood. The next pages said 'Dad' and had the pictures of Eric. The next pages had pictures of 'Mom & Dad'. It made her well up. The pages after, she put the pictures taken during her pregnancy. Seeing that made her ache for those happy times, the pictures showed the progress, from itty bitty to near-burst. There were sonogram pictures too, even if Helena might not understand those yet. After that came the pictures of Helena's first week. Her favorite was one she'd taken of Eric sleeping with Helena sleeping as well on his chest. He had a protective hand holding her, the other holding the baby's tiny hand. When she got the pictures from after his death set up it got harder and harder, but at last she was done. Happy with her work she cleaned things up and placed the album up in her room so she could show Helena when she got her back home.  
  
  
  
With another hour before she had to be at work, she decided to pay Eric a visit. She picked up some flowers and headed to the cemetery. Laying the bouquet at the top of the stone, she kneeled down. "Sorry I haven't come in a few weeks, things were pretty hectic." She paused. "She asked about you today. I think she's starting to understand and I think that scares me. I don't know why, just that… Living without you is hard, still to this day. When she gets it all… it'll make her sad too… I don't want her to be hurt, she had no way to know… Damn it, what am I supposed to do? My daughter will be in pain and I can't stop it from coming, I can't spare it from her… I can't protect her. I couldn't protect you, and now it's the same with her. It's just not fair! Eric it's so hard and I can't make it better!" she was sobbing and shaking by now. "I… I need you," she bowed her head.  
  
  
  
It took a few minutes before she felt someone's presence behind her. She turned her tear-stained face to see who it was. "Sam?" She knew who he was to her, but she still couldn't call him 'Dad'. He understood.  
  
  
  
"I sensed you… Thought you might need a willing ear." Paige stood and hugged him. Sam had shown up a few times over the years, when he felt himself needed. They were okay with each other, but they weren't exactly the model father and daughter.  
  
  
  
"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" she sniffled.  
  
  
  
"No, you're not. Don't even think that. I went through this myself after your mother passed. There are good and bad days, and it's never really over." She looked up at him. "You have a beautiful little girl who loves you and needs you. She is and will be there with you, you need each other. Eric will live on as long as there's a person like you or Helena who can carry his memory on with their head held high. It took me a while to understand. Do you know what I mean?"  
  
  
  
"I think so," she smiled weakly. "Thank you."  
  
  
  
"You're welcome," he smiled back. Suddenly she looked at her watch.  
  
  
  
"Oh… I'm late for work," she wiped her face.  
  
  
  
"If you ever need me…" he told her. She nodded. He walked into an isolated spot and orbed away. Paige hurried to her car. Fixing her makeup first, she drove off to work. She was anxious again to show Helena the album she'd put together. She'd put it off for a while, but now it was done and she could update it when needed.  
  
  
  
A few days later, Prue was getting out of her ballet class. She looked around for her Mother's car, or one of her aunts' cars… neither was there. No one she knew was there either. 'I'm six, I'm old enough…' she thought. Sneaking under the stairs, she thought of her home, the hallway by the door. Seconds later she was orbing there. "It worked!" she whispered to herself. She heard twinkling of the wind chime she'd placed by the window in the living room over a year ago, and then saw orbs forming in the living room. She stayed where she was and watched, hoping she wouldn't be spotted. She wasn't sure why she was hiding, but it made sense in the realization her parents might be mad that she hadn't waited for them.  
  
  
  
"Leo, hurry, she's bleeding a lot," Phoebe told her brother-in-law, her tone dripping with fear.  
  
  
  
"What was she thinking going after him without you?" Leo asked as he and Phoebe moved around so he could heal the wounds.  
  
  
  
"Instincts will do that sometimes," Paige told him, slightly out of breath. "The demon just showed up and grabbed those kids, there weren't a lot of options." Once they'd moved, Prue was able to see who they were standing around… her mother. Piper lay unconscious on the couch. She was bleeding profusely from a head wound, and a long cut along her right side. Her right leg and arm were placed in odd angles. Prue smacked her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound as she blanched.  
  
  
  
"Those instincts will get you killed some day," Leo told them as he got to work on healing her arm and leg. Paige pitched in, working at the side wound. When she finished it, she moved to the cut on her forehead, blood trickling down and soaking her hair. All problems 'fixed', Piper awoke a bit weak still. Leo hugged her. "You know how worried I was? What were you thinking?"  
  
  
  
"Innocents in trouble, Wonder Twins Powers Activate?" she guessed, sitting up.  
  
  
  
"Piper, you have got to be more careful, I mean it."  
  
  
  
"I am careful, Leo. But sometimes you can't tell what will happen."  
  
  
  
"Demons suck… especially the kind that goes after kids," Phoebe shook her head.  
  
  
  
Out in the hall, Prue was scared over what she saw, what she heard. Ducking behind the wall, she orbed out, wanting to be anywhere but there. When she saw again, she'd materialized in a room she didn't know. She went to the closed door and tried to open it, but it was locked. She walked to the window and looked out. This was her house, and she was really high up. She must have been in the attic… she'd never been in the attic, not as far as she remembered.  
  
  
  
Turning back from the window, she spotted a pedestal with a large ancient-looking book on it. She found something to stand on so she could see better. There was a symbol on the cover, one she felt a strong connection to. She opened the book and began turning the pages. She read some things, and a lot of it gave her shivers. She may have been 'brave' and 'mature' for her age, but even she had her limits. Then she landed on one page and, after reading it in her mind, she didn't think it sounded so bad, in fact it sounded interesting… multiplying her powers could come in handy.  
  
  
  
"Take my powers, Blessed be,  
  
Multiply their strength by three."  
  
  
  
Down in the living room, Piper got up from the couch. She still limped a little bit, mostly needing to regain her balance. Then she thought of something.  
  
  
  
"Oh no… Prue! Her class ended, there's no one to pick her up," she went to get the phone as the others followed. Just as she'd picked it up though, Lauren orbed in. Piper suddenly thought of the worse.  
  
  
  
"She's in the attic, Piper she's just cast a spell," Lauren explained.  
  
  
  
"Which one?" Paige asked as they started up the stairs, hearing noise from the highest room in their home. Lauren orbed back out, now that they'd been alerted, what came next would be up to them.  
  
  
  
They arrived at the door and hurried to unlock and open it. What they saw brought on some memories. Three girls, all Prue in their own respects, standing up from their position on all fours, golden lights disappearing from around them. The one on the left looked… pissed and determined. The one on the right was fidgeting and looked awfully nervous. The one in the middle looked like regular little Prue, though it was evident she was trying to take in a lot of stuff.  
  
  
  
"Mom? What's going on?" Center Prue asked Piper, stepping away from the other two.  
  
  
  
"Honey, what did you do?" Piper went to crouch in front of her 'real' daughter.  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? All this stuff?" Left Prue crossed her arms over her chest. Piper looked at her.  
  
  
  
"Don't yell," Right Prue whimpered, hiding her face in her hands. Piper turned to her now.  
  
  
  
"Alright, let's go downstairs and we'll try to figure this," Piper stood, attempting to stay calm, despite the constant replay of the pain she'd seen on her sister's face over ten years before when one of her 'clones' was killed. The thought of her daughter experiencing that was a scary one. "Phoebe go to her room and get some shirts?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I remember," Phoebe nodded and headed out. The others herded the girls down into the living room.  
  
  
  
"Have you used this spell before?" Paige asked Piper, sensing their familiarity with the effects. She on the other hand was totally baffled by it.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, Prue did it about ten years ago… the other Prue," Piper explained. "Okay," she turned to the three Prues before her once they'd arrived in the living room. Phoebe joined them, carrying two zip-up shirts. Center Prue was already wearing a white one… they all were… but she'd keep it.  
  
  
  
"Twin one, we'll give you the yellow," she handed it to right Prue. "And twin two, you get purple." The clones changed shirts.  
  
  
  
"Prue, what happened?" she asked the girl in white. She looked at her mother and went to stand in front of her. Piper got down to her eye level.  
  
  
  
"I didn't see anyone outside of class, and… I thought I'd just orb home. Mom… there was so much blood on you…" she cried. Piper hugged her.  
  
  
  
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Yellow Prue ran to the bathroom. Leo went with her. Purple Prue got up from the couch.  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell us about this?" she yelled. "Don't we deserve knowing the truth?" Piper looked at her. Leo brought Yellow Prue back a minute later and the three girls were sat side by side.  
  
  
  
"Okay, I know you're probably wondering what's going on, what happened before," Piper started. "We didn't tell you everything because you're…"  
  
  
  
"Too young?" Purple Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Well… yeah. See, your Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Paige, and myself, we're known as the Charmed Ones, really powerful witches, and because of that a lot of bad people… demons and warlocks… They try to hurt us and we fight them. And sometimes we'll find out about people in danger because of those bad guys and we protect them. Do you understand?" The three Prues looked at each other. White Prue stood.  
  
  
  
"I don't want you to get killed," she whispered. Piper hugged her again, feeling herself tear up.  
  
  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered back.  
  
  
  
"We can help," Purple Prue stood as well, fierce determination gleaming in her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Now hold on…" Phoebe stepped forward.  
  
  
  
"You said the… demon… was after kids. We can make him come after us, and you can fight them."  
  
  
  
"She's right," said White Prue.  
  
  
  
"No, absolutely not," Piper shook her head, "I'm not going to put my kid in danger like that." White Prue pulled her face forward so they could look in each other's eyes.  
  
  
  
"We can do it Mommy. We want to help. We'll just make him come, then we'll get out. Right?" White Prue turned to Purple Prue. She nodded. They turned to Yellow Prue. She was cowering and digging herself into the couch.  
  
  
  
"Come on, don't be a baby!" Purple Prue huffed.  
  
  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Yellow Prue protested as she stood, attempting to look tough though she wasn't able, "I'll do it."  
  
  
  
"How do we make him come?" White Prue asked the adults.  
  
  
  
An hour later, after much arguing followed by relenting, the plan was in motion. The three Prues stood in the living room, alone. After a look of confirmation was exchanged, each of the girls took off flying, mostly following each other in a circle. Sometimes they'd orb a bit.  
  
  
  
Minutes later, the doors were knocked open and the demon walked in. They'd been shown an image of him, and he wasn't that scary looking, so they didn't lose their focus. They took a sort of 'V' formation, flying up the stairs with the demon in pursuit they flew into the attic, spinning on their axes like human planes doing tricks. Piper and the others were waiting there. The girls landed behind a couch, hidden from view. The demon ran in and stopped when he saw the witches he'd fought earlier. In his surprise he didn't notice the crystals around him, didn't see Leo slam the last crystal in place. The cage was set. The vanquish didn't take long. Soon the demon was gone. The sisters looked at the couch, where the three girls stood up. They shared a smile between Prues and Purple and Yellow disappeared, their clothes falling to the ground where they'd been standing. White Prue, now the only Prue again, ran to hug her mother.  
  
  
  
"You were very brave today," she told her later that night, brushing her wet freshly cleaned waist-length hair. "You have to understand something though." Prue turned to her. "What you did today… I won't always let you get involved."  
  
  
  
"I know, but… I want to learn."  
  
  
  
"That can be arranged," Piper smiled.  
  
  
  
"I remember things now… from before. Uncle Eric… he was killed by a demon, wasn't he?" Piper nodded. "I saw things, but I didn't understand them. I do now." They hugged.  
  
  
  
"Sweetie, you know how Daddy's an angel?"  
  
  
  
"A whitelighter," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"That's right. Well, whitelighters guide witches, like us… Your dad is your aunts and my whitelighter. And you have one too."  
  
  
  
"I do?"  
  
  
  
"Yes. Now that you know more and that you want to get involved, I think it's time you met her." She whispered in Prue's ear to call out her whitelighter's name, which was…  
  
  
  
"Lauren?" The woman appeared before them.  
  
  
  
"Hello Prue." The little witch smiled. 


	7. Destruction of Power

A/N: First off, I'd just like to say thank you so much for all your comments :) If I could just ask... I'd really appreciate some more detailed reviews. What you liked in particular, what you might want to see happen, I don't know... You don't have to, but if you can I'd be real thankful.  
  
---  
  
June 17 2010  
  
"Mommy!" Helena, now four, ran into her mother's room.  
  
"Yes Froggy?" she asked, standing from her bed where she'd been wrapping presents for Emily and Charlotte's second birthday.  
  
"Is it cheating if they use their powers to help each other?"  
  
"Who, the twins?" Paige asked and Helena nodded. "They're still very little, they don't understand they're not supposed to. Just let them play their way."  
  
"Okay," Helena sighed and left.  
  
Emily and Charlotte, unlike their brother, had shown they had powers. The boy still had none to speak of to this day. But the twins did, something they hadn't discovered until they were a certain age, like Helena. And like her as well, their powers appeared passive. They most likely had them before, but it would have been impossible to tell. A few days before their first birthday, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed witches had been taken separately to get a present for their sister 'on their behalf'. Emily had 'gotten' Charlotte her own bear, Mr. Blacky's niece Sunny. Charlotte on her side had 'picked' for Emily Sunny's sister, Blossom. They hadn't witnessed the other's purchase. But on their birthday, when Emily was shown the box and playfully asked 'Guess what's in here,' by her mother, she'd looked at her sister, then her mother.  
  
"B'os'om?" she asked. This surprised them, even more so when they repeated the exercise with Charlotte.  
  
"S'nny?" Charlotte had intoned like her sister.  
  
When they remembered something their grandmother had said upon meeting her new great-granddaughters, they decided to summon her. They asked her what the girls' powers were. It turned out Emily and Charlotte had a sort of psychic connection, were able to speak to each other telepathically. But it didn't end there, the connection was deeper than that. When they focused on it, they would be able to see through the eyes of their sister. Grams told them they would develop separate powers as well eventually.  
  
Paige went into her sister's room, where Piper and Phoebe already sat laughing, Phoebe helping her big sister with her share of present wrapping.  
  
"What's so funny?" Paige asked.  
  
"We were just reminiscing about Henry's second birthday," Phoebe explained. Paige laughed along with them.  
  
"Leave it to him to go running around butt naked for half an hour. How'd we even get him stopped and dressed?" Paige asked.  
  
"I believe fudge cookies were involved," Piper answered. The three sisters walked out of the room and to the stairs, looking down into the hall. Prue (7), Henry (4, almost 5), Helena, Emily and Charlotte (2) were running around, playing tag and having loads of fun with it.  
  
"Who would have thought..." Paige spoke softly enough that the kids wouldn't hear.  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"The Charmed Ones turned Soccer Moms." All three laughed at that.  
  
"Well now, only one of us actually has a soccer-playing kid and that's me," Piper told them.  
  
"We never know, they're all still pretty young," Phoebe pointed out.  
  
"But still... Almost nine years ago, we were still getting acquainted, and now we've got five kids running around the house," Paige explained. Arm in arm, the sisters of Halliwell Manor shared the moment with smiles and silence.  
  
"Here we go," Phoebe told them as they went down the stairs. She grabbed Emily in mid-run and she giggled. She lifted Charlotte as well with her other arm. "How are my birthday girls?" she asked them as they went into the dining room.  
  
"Hungry," Emily told her mother.  
  
"Really," Phoebe laughed. "Well we'll have to get that taken care of, won't we? Gonna have some lasagna?"  
  
"Yeah!" both girls squealed at the mention of their favorite meal.  
  
"That's what I thought," Phoebe smiled and set the two in their seats.  
  
The dinner began, and as it had become custom in their family dinners, it was loud. The children spoke loudly over their parents' voices to each other, laughing from time to time and often had to be guided back to their meals. Piper and Leo sat on either side of their daughter at one end of the table. At the other end sat the birthday girls, with their parents on either side as well. In between Piper and Phoebe sat Henry, and Paige and Helena between Leo and Jason. After the main course the children were allowed a period of play time before it'd be time for cake, leaving the five parents behind to chat, switching seats to couple-up.  
  
"Where should we go this summer, we have to decide," Jason asked the group.  
  
"I think Hawaii could be interesting," Phoebe suggested.  
  
"That's actually a good idea," Piper agreed. "Something for everyone... We definitely need a vacation. We can go the week before they start camp."  
  
"It's gonna be quiet here this summer," Paige sighed.  
  
"They come home at night, remember?" Piper asked.  
  
"Yeah but they'll be really tired." They laughed, thinking back to their own camp adventures.  
  
"I was the prankster of our camp, unbeaten four years running," Jason proclaimed.  
  
"You? Really?" Phoebe laughed.  
  
"There wasn't one object I couldn't use to trick someone in some way," he nodded.  
  
"Well I guess you really do learn something new everyday," Paige smiled. "Does this mean we're gonna have to watch our backs now?"  
  
"Who knows?" Jason shrugged and smirked.  
  
"I used to love camp. I hated the lunches though," Piper scrunched her nose.  
  
"Yeah, you'd hide most of it somewhere and throw it out after," Phoebe remembered.  
  
"In that green scarf in your pocket," Leo smiled to his wife.  
  
"Mm, honey? Reminders of your long-run observations? Not my favorites," she shook her head. Leo bowed his slightly.  
  
"Sorry." She kissed him.  
  
"No worries," she assured. Both smiled. Jason and Phoebe smiled to each other, she placed her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around hers. Paige rolled her eyes, thinking about romance for the first time in a long while.  
  
"I need myself a guy..." Sisters and brothers-in-law smiled and smirked.  
  
July 15 2010  
  
"Guys, come on, you're gonna be late for camp!" Piper called from the kitchen as she put the finishing touches to Prue and Helena's lunches. The girls ran in seconds later, still tanned like her from the vacation. Prue wore her soccer uniform, hair bouncing from her ponytail, while Helena had her hair in two braids, wearing pink shorts and a shirt from the camp. Piper smiled. "Ready for your first day of camp?" The doorbell rang. Helena ran off to answer. Prue remained, standing next to her mother and watching her write their names on the paper bags. They were supposed to get boxes, but hadn't had time yet. Piper looked at her daughter. "What?" she asked with a grin.  
  
"Nothing," Prue shrugged. "Can't wait to go to soccer camp."  
  
"Well you deserved it," Piper nodded.  
  
"I know," Prue nodded too.  
  
"Yes, and for that you get... loads of kisses!" Surprising her before she could react, Piper hugged her daughter and kissed her cheeks repeatedly, making her giggle. Piper laughed, picking her up and tickling her tummy. Prue giggled harder. Eventually Piper put her down, kissing her on the forehead. "Have a good time, alright? I love you my little soccer champ," she smiled again, handing her the lunches for her and her cousin. "You guys go wait in the car, I'll be right there."  
  
"Okay, Mommy!" she started off, then spun back around. "And I love you too!" She ran out, calling "Helena, car!" Piper shook her head with a smile as she went to fill Paige's coffee mug for the ride. Grabbing her keys along with the coffee, she headed out, meeting with Paige, hugging Helena goodbye. Once she was done, the girl ran out the door. Piper handed Paige the coffee.  
  
"You're a saint," Paige hummed, breathing in the scent.  
  
"Thanks." The two of them smiled as they got out of the house and made their way to their cars.  
  
"So where's Leo this morning? Is he sleeping in?" Paige asked.  
  
"He got called by a charge, had to go." Down by Piper's car, Phoebe stood strapping the twins' seats in.  
  
"Piper, thank you so much for taking them. Jason's off in Seattle and I have to get to an early meeting..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," she waved it off. "You two get going if you don't want to be late," Piper got in the car.  
  
"Okay, bye guys, love you!" Phoebe blew air kisses to Henry, Emily, and Charlotte. They blew some back to her. She hated leaving them, but she really needed to get to work.  
  
"You two come by the restaurant for lunch if you've got time, alright?" Piper asked her sisters as they got in their cars. They nodded and waved goodbye before driving off. Once they'd gone, Piper got in the kid-packed car. "Alright, let's get you guys to camp!" The kids cheered and they were off. Shortly after, they arrived at the first camp. Piper got out and looked around for the Senior Dean car.  
  
"Piper!" she heard from behind her. Turning around, she spotted Gregory Dean walking toward her.  
  
"Mr. Dean, hi," she opened the backdoor of her car. "How are you?" She picked up Henry and set him on his feet. No sooner had that happened that he was running to his grandfather. Piper got the twins and Helena out. The twins were too young for camp, and spent their days with their grandparents most of the time. Henry and Helena went to this camp. "Can you handle things here?" she asked the man.  
  
"Of course," he nodded.  
  
"Good. Bye kids!" she waved to her nieces and nephew before getting back in her car and driving toward Prue's soccer camp.  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
"Yes?" Piper asked, knowing a request was on the way, judging by the tone in her daughter's voice.  
  
"Can we get a dog?" Piper laughed.  
  
"I had a feeling it would be canine-ish. I'll tell you what... you show me you can handle the responsibility, and if you 'pass', we can go in... two weeks?"  
  
"Yes! Yes!" Prue squealed.  
  
"Alright, deal," Piper smiled as they arrived. "Okay, so your Dad is coming to pick you up this afternoon," Piper reminded Prue.  
  
"I thought I was going to Jessie's house." Piper thought about it.  
  
"Right, my mistake. Well, I'll ring his bell later." Prue laughed. The two of them got out of the car and went inside. "Have a good day sweetie," Piper kissed her cheek. Prue kissed her back.  
  
"Bye Mom!" she ran and waved. Piper waved back and got back to the car, returning to the manor.  
  
Arriving at the silent home, Piper went up to the second floor. Seeing some toys lying on the ground, she picked them up and placed them where they belonged. Finally, she returned to her room, getting into bed for a quick nap before she needed to get to work. But she had trouble keeping her eyes closed... she kept getting this feeling that something wasn't right. She tried to ignore it for a few minutes, hoping it would go away, but the feeling refused to go away.  
  
"Fine..." she sighed, getting back up. She walked out of her room and down to the first floor as silently as possible. She looked around the hall and stopped cold when she noticed the door was open. She raised her foot to start walking to it... and then she was grabbed from behind. One large arm was stuck around her, making it impossible to move or get away, and the other arm's hand was over her mouth, preventing her from screaming.  
  
A sinister male voice began whispering something in her ear and suddenly she felt weak as he let go and she fell. The weakness didn't last long, like it'd been an after-effect that quickly dissipated. "Hello witch," the voice, now booming and fierce, greeted her. She looked up and finally saw his face... It was the Koren demon, the one they'd fought way back when Prue was still a baby. She threw her hands up in hopes of either freezing or blowing him up, still used to use them... no such luck. He grinned at the sight of anguish on her face. "You'd be surprised... the things you can learn in seven years." Piper scrambled to stand, taking a nearby vase and shattering it over his head before starting for the stairs. The demon wasn't phased at all, laughing as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. "I don't think so," he taunted, turning her around so they could be face to face. She looked scared now. "See I figured... Wait a while, let them get comfortable... And then pick them off one by one." Picking her up by the shoulders he threw her into the dining room table. She landed with a pain-filled scream. The demon marched over to her. She was trying to get up, but only got her back a few inches off the table before she'd fall again. The Koren grabbed a piece of vase off the ground and dug it into her stomach. She screamed again. The demon placed his hand in the pooling of blood and started a chant. Piper's ghost lifted out of her body, which stopped struggling at once.  
  
"Oh no..." Ghost-Piper whispered. "This can't be happening..."  
  
"Oh, but it is," the Koren laughed. Ghost-Piper attempted to get back in her body but as she tried to touch the body, an invisible force propelled her back. "I've still got it," he all but patted himself on the back. He looked at the ghost. "I have no more business with you, go on off to 'heaven'," he waved her off. Ghost-Piper started floating toward the ceiling.  
  
"No! I can't leave!" were the last words she said before disappearing. The Koren looked down into the dead open eyes of the witch.  
  
"Time to get your sister."  
  
At the Bay Mirror, Phoebe was coming out of her meeting. Her assistant was quick to tag to her shadow.  
  
"The principal called to confirm your presence at the fundraiser next week. You have a package waiting on your desk, I signed for it while you were in there, and Elise wants to see you."  
  
"I'll be there, thanks, and thanks," she smiled, walking into her office. She opened the package, a teddy bear with the words 'Miss you' on its tummy. She laughed. Jason loved to send her presents when he was away. She placed the bear on her desk and picked up the box to throw out on the way to Elise's office. But just as she was reaching the door, her phone rang. She turned back and picked up the phone. "Phoebe Halliwell," she answered.  
  
"Phoebe! Come home now, there's a demon and I can't handle him on my own!" her scared big sister told her in a hurry.  
  
"Okay Piper hang on, I'll call Paige and be right there!" she dropped the box and grabbed her keys.  
  
"I already called, she's on her way."  
  
"Alright, I'll be there soon just hang in there!" Phoebe hung up and ran out of her office.  
  
"Good, Phoebe, I need you to check..." Elise started when she saw her.  
  
"No time, sorry!" she called to the woman, continuing on. Fumbling with her keys she arrived at her car and got in, speeding out of the lot.  
  
Minutes later, she pulled up to the manor. The door was wide open. She ran in and immediately saw her sister on the table. She went to her, gasping as the tears began.  
  
"Piper! Wake up!" she felt for a pulse, blanching when she found none. "No, Piper!" she screamed before she was pushed into the glass front of a cabinet, blood trickling down her face as she felt something sharp shoved in her back then removed. She screamed again as a hand pressed into her wound and an all-too familiar voice began a chant. When she got limp, she was dropped at the foot of the table. Ghost-Phoebe rose out of her body and got much the same fate as her sister, floating off to the heavens.  
  
"That was too easy," he smirked to himself. "Well... beggars can't be choosers, right?" he shrugged.  
  
Down at the social services office, Paige was on the phone talking to Sherry Norwood. "How's Helena?" she asked.  
  
"She's good. She's starting camp today. She was very excited. Hey I was wondering if you and Jack would like to come over this weekend. I could come get you and you could spend the night or something. I'm sure Helena would love it."  
  
"Absolutely, that's a wonderful idea." At that moment her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen. 'Home'.  
  
"Hey Sherry, can you hold on a second?"  
  
"Sure." Paige put the phone down and answered her cell.  
  
"Hey Piper, what's up?"  
  
"It's not Piper, she's... she's unconscious," was the frightened response she got, making her sit up.  
  
"Phoebe? What are you... What's going on?"  
  
"T-There's a demon here, it's really bad! We need the power of three!" Then there was a scream and the sound of the phone hitting the ground.  
  
"Phoebe!" Paige yelled, standing up. "Sherry, I gotta go!" she hung up her office phone. "Phoebe, talk to me!" she pleaded into her cell, grabbing her things and walking out of her office.  
  
"Paige, h-hurry! Please!" she heard faintly from the other end.  
  
"I'm coming!" she told her, the fear in her voice giving Paige wings as she walked to the door.  
  
"Paige, I need the McGuire file," Mr. Cowan interrupted her.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Cowan I really have to go..."  
  
"Go where? I need you here... Are you okay?" he finally noticed the fright in her eyes.  
  
"I-I need to get home, my..." There was another scream in the phone, and even Cowan heard it. "Phoebe hang on!" she cried, looking back up at her boss. "Please! I have to go!"  
  
"Go," was all he could say. She ran past him. "Should I call the police?" he called after her, but she was already gone. He went into his office and pulled up her file on his computer, dialing 911 at the same time. "1329 Prescott Street, hurry," he told them once he'd told the man on the other end the situation.  
  
Paige ran to her car and drove home. She could have orbed but it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Not even bothering to turn off the engine, closing or locking the door, she went up there. When she walked in, the demon was standing in the middle of the hall, a demon she remembered.  
  
"Koren... Where are my sisters?" she asked, seething. The demon laughed.  
  
"And then there was one..." he stepped aside to let her see the carnage, speaking with Phoebe's voice. She wanted to cry, just fall on her knees and sob until the end of time, but if she hoped to save her sisters she needed to move fast. She orbed up to the attic. Her hands were shaking as she paged through the Book, searching for the Koren entry. When she found it she grabbed the paper slip in the crease before running to the stairs. Before she could make another move, she was shoved down the stairs. She screamed, landing in the space between the two parts of the staircase. The Koren was at the top of the stairs. He tried to throw some kind of energy ball at her, but she orbed it back toward him. He started tumbling toward her and she hurried to say the spell. He exploded, making her fall the rest of the way to the hall, hearing something snap as she called out 'LEO!' before she lost consciousness.  
  
When she awoke again, a paramedic was attending her to. "Miss, can you hear me?" She tried to nod, and the pain returned. "Careful there, you had a pretty bad fall. You had a gash on your forehead I stitched up, and a bone broke in your wrist but it's not too bad. The doctors at the hospital will explain more."  
  
"My sisters... are they okay?" she whispered, looking to the side. She saw two body bags being wheeled out and she began to cry.  
  
"I'm sorry Miss, there was nothing we could do for them..."  
  
She continued to cry all the way to the hospital, while she was there, and after she was discharged and taken to the police station. She was left in an interrogation room with a cup of coffee she never touched. They told her they'd send 'him' over as soon as he got back, having already been called. She continued to cry, letting out a pleading 'Leo!' every once in a while. Finally, Darryl walked in. She hadn't looked up, but the speed of the steps indicated to her it was someone who had to have a relationship with them, and was dealing as best he could with the news.  
  
"Paige..." he put a hand on her shoulders. She lowered her head. Her sadness wouldn't go away just like that, but remembering the words her father had given her in the cemetery that day were able to give her temporary clarity.  
  
"How can this be happening?" she cried. She stood and hugged him.  
  
"I've... cleared things here for now... I'll take you home."  
  
"O-okay," she sniffled. They went down to his car and she sat next to him in the front. They were quiet at first. "Someone... someone has to get the kids from camp... What am I gonna tell them?" Darryl looked at her.  
  
"I'll call Sheila."  
  
"Thanks... Have her take them to the Grandparents, please? Not the house..."  
  
"Do you want her to know?" Paige shook her head. "Okay."  
  
Ten minutes later, Sheila Morris pulled up to the soccer camp. She'd been near the first camp when her husband had called. Now Henry and Helena were with her as she went to explain the situation to the counselors. She was cleared to leave with them already so it wasn't a problem. She went out to the field and looked around for Prue. She was bouncing a ball on her head when she spotted her 'Aunt'. She dropped the ball and ran over.  
  
"Did you see me?" she asked excitedly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"We have to go," Sheila cut to the chase. Prue spotted her cousins.  
  
"But I just got here..." she whimpered.  
  
"I'm sorry, all I was told was there was an emergency and I needed to take you and your cousins to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dean." Something was wrong, Prue could feel it.  
  
At the manor, the wreckage, the blood, everything stood still and spoke volumes at the same time. Paige and Darryl walked in slowly, Paige ripping the yellow tape away.  
  
"Will they be... investigating?" Paige asked. "They can't investigate..." she looked back at him.  
  
"I'll take care of it, don't worry. No one will come here."  
  
"Good. Because I can't bring the kids here and let them see this.  
  
Let the object of affection become but a dream  
  
As I cause the seen to be unseen."  
  
Everything returned to the way it was supposed to be... as much as that could be arranged anyway. Walking into the living room, she saw someone sitting there... Leo.  
  
"Paige! What happened?" he stood up. The lone witch lost her composure then, rushing at him.  
  
"WHERE WERE YOU? WE NEEDED YOU AND YOU WEREN'T HERE AND NOW THEY'RE GONE!" She collapsed in a heap of wracking sobs. Darryl went to her aid.  
  
"I-I'm sorry... Tell Prue I love her..." the broken whitelighter stepped back and orbed away.  
  
"Darryl, what am I gonna do? What are we all going to do? I don't know that I can handle this..."  
  
"First... I'll contact Jason, tell him to come back right away. You take as much time as you need and then I'll drive you to the Grandparents' home."  
  
"Thank you..." she cried, remaining in the safety of his comforting arms.  
  
Shortly after she went up to her room to change out of her clothes, ripped and showing streaks of blood. Once in clean clothes, she sat on her bed, trying to figure out how she'd be able to face these kids and tell them their mothers were gone forever, that Prue's father might not return as well. And she'd have to tell Jason he was now a single father of three young children, tell Prue she'd be facing issues such as her parental status. She'd most likely be put in Paige's custody, but it was hard to tell. And then there was the house... it had belonged to Prue (1), Piper, and Phoebe... and now they were all gone. She'd have to see if they'd made wills... the funerals... So many questions, so many answers she never wanted to have to find.  
  
Almost three hours later, they were off in Darryl's car. It wouldn't take long for them to figure out something bad had happened when they'd see the bandages on her forehead and wrist. Physical pain wasn't an issue for her anymore, not unless the pain in her heart counted.  
  
At the home of Jason's parents, the children had been sent to play in the basement, though Prue simply sat in the sidelines. She knew something was wrong, but no one would tell her anything. In truth she doubted they did know. Up in the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Dean were sitting with Sheila. The past few hours had been spent in agonizing silence. Any attempts at conversation seemed to flop right away. All of them were too busy imagining what they would be told when Darryl would arrive. When the bell rang and the person simply came in they thought he'd come at last, but instead...  
  
"Jason? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Seattle..." Sharon Dean went to hug her son.  
  
"I got a call from Darryl, he told me to come here immediately," he explained. "What's going on?"  
  
"It might be a good idea for you all to sit down." They turned and saw Paige had arrived with Darryl. "Can you go stay with the kids, make sure they stay down there?" she asked him.  
  
"Alright," he told her, his voice almost hoarse as he headed to the basement.  
  
"Paige what happened to you?" Jason asked frantically.  
  
"Please, everyone sit," she did just that.  
  
They followed suit and suddenly the air was heavy, hard to breathe in. Paige tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. The only things that did come were tears.  
  
"Paige, tell me... did something happen to Phoebe?" Jason asked her. She looked into his eyes, and he knew... his love was gone. He sank into the couch, trying to keep things together and failing as he started to cry along with Paige. The other three present were all shell-shocked or in tears as well.  
  
"Has Piper been called?" Sheila asked. Paige looked at her, and Sheila understood. "Oh..." She stood and went to sit next to Paige. "I'm so sorry..." She put an arm around her shoulders. The Deans were comforting their son while taking it all in themselves.  
  
"H-how... how did this happen?" Jason asked.  
  
"I-I got... a call from Phoebe. She was saying... someone... broke in, s-started attacking them."  
  
"But she would have been at the office, wouldn't she?" Jason asked.  
  
"It's possible Piper may have called her for help... just like she called me," Paige guessed. "When I got there, I was attacked too but... I think the police car sirens might have scared him off." 'Be strong for them... Be strong for them...' It was all that went through her mind, over and over.  
  
"Those poor kids... What will we tell them?" Sharon felt a shiver.  
  
In the basement, Darryl was letting the twins play 'horsy' with him, while Henry and Helena ran around, playing tag. Prue sat by the window, playing with her shoes. After a few minutes of seeing her doing nothing like this, Darryl got Emily and Charlotte off and went to sit next to her. She ignored him at first, but eventually looked at him.  
  
"Hey Prue, you don't want to play with the others?" he asked her, all the while thinking 'Poor girl, has no idea she's just lost both her parents... No idea her whole world has collapsed'. The girl looked at him, a striking maturity in her eyes.  
  
"Why are we here now? We're supposed to be at camp. Did something happen?" Darryl felt like he was being interrogated, with a light blinding him. For once he felt sympathy for the people they'd put through that.  
  
"I'm sure they'll tell you soon." Prue looked at him and stood.  
  
"Then I'll call my mom and ask her why I'm here." He quickly stood.  
  
"No, you can't!" She looked at him, and he knew he'd screwed up. Prue ran up the stairs and into the living room, the beginning of tears welling up in her little eyes. Seeing the condition her aunt was in didn't help much either.  
  
"Aunt Paige, where's my mom? Tell me I'm imagining it! Please tell me she's okay!" she cried. Paige broke down, reaching over to hug her niece.  
  
"Prue..." But she pulled back, shaking her head firmly.  
  
"No, no, no, NO!" she cried, taking off flying down the hall toward the door to the backyard.  
  
"Prue!" Paige ran after her, leaving Jason to explain to the others, who had no idea, what they'd just witnessed.  
  
"What just happened? Did she...?" Sharon started.  
  
"She was flying!" Gregory gasped.  
  
"It doesn't make any sense," Sheila rounded up the outbursts.  
  
"Mom, Dad, Sheila... Paige, Phoebe, Piper... they're... are and were... witches. And so are the children." All three looked at him.  
  
In the backyard, Prue had gone up a tree, now perched up there and crying her heart out. "Prue, please come down..." Paige asked her niece.  
  
"No!" she yelled.  
  
"Prue, you're going to attract attention to yourself..."  
  
"I don't care, I want my Mommy!" she whimpered in the sleeve of her uniform.  
  
"Prue, listen to me, it's not safe up there, you could get hurt!"  
  
"I'm not a baby, I can handle it! You can't make me come down and you know it!" she sent back, bringing up the point of exposure.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Paige asked. She grabbed on to the tree and started climbing. Prue looked at her. "I know it hurts honey..." she continued on up. "But nothing will change that. It's okay to be sad, or even angry. It will help. It may not show right now, but one day you'll see..." She reached the branch below her. "It'll get better again. Now please come down with me?" Convinced enough for now, Prue climbed down to Paige and let herself be taken back.  
  
"It was a demon, wasn't it?" Prue asked. Paige nodded. Prue looked around. "Dad's not coming back either, is he?" Paige shook her head. Prue nodded, then broke into sobs again, hugging her aunt. She remained that way until she fell asleep an hour later. Paige got Helena and returned to the manor with the girls. Jason would stay with his parents a while longer.  
  
"So you're saying they..."  
  
"They have powers, Mom. Only the girls, not Henry." He sat on the couch, Charlotte in his arms and Emily sleeping on the couch. "Can we just not talk about this right now?" he closed his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just... so much to take in all at once..." Sharon cried into her hands. Henry, sitting in her lap, looked around the room.  
  
"Daddy? Where's Mommy?"  
  
"Yeah, where?" Emily woke and sat up.  
  
"Yeah, where?" Charlotte repeated. Jason looked at his children, trying to figure out a way to break the news to them without breaking their little hearts even if he knew... there is no such way.  
  
"Mommy... Mommy is gone." The children exchanged looks.  
  
"When's she coming back?" Henry asked.  
  
"She's... not." He could see them trying to understand what he'd said. Henry was the first to cry.  
  
"Why not?" he whimpered. Emily and Charlotte began crying in unison.  
  
"Wish I could tell you," Jason told his son, hugging and trying to comfort his daughters.  
  
"It's my fault..." Henry whispered, "I lost her blue necklace in the ocean. I can get it back, then she can come back!"  
  
"No, Henry it's not your fault," Sharon hugged her grandson.  
  
"I don't want her gone," he cried into her shirt.  
  
At the manor, Paige carried Prue up to her bed, Helena at her side. She carefully removed her shoes, tucked her in and kissed her forehead before taking Helena and leaving the room. She stopped in the stairs, sitting there. Being back again, now that the others knew... it all felt so final, it was truly over and done with. She'd lost her parents, and then Eric, and now her sisters... She had lost so much, almost all. Helena was all she had left... There was still friends, nieces, a nephew, some others, yes. But they were another level. It was a strange feeling, but it was the truth.  
  
Helena sat next to her, keeping quiet. She had this sort of ability to respond to others' emotions perfectly, her mother in particular. It was this way from the start, quiet when needed, otherwise in other moments. After a few minutes, she turned her head to look at her mother. Eventually, Paige looked back at her. She smiled.  
  
"You've had a weird kind of day uh, Froggy?" She nodded. "I know you're not gonna like it but it'll be like that for a while."  
  
"Why?" she asked. Paige picked her up and sat her on her lap, arms wrapped around her waist as Helena put an arm around her neck, the other playing with the pendant dangling from it.  
  
"You remember what I told you? About your Dad? About how he couldn't be here for certain reasons?" She nodded. "Your Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Piper, and Uncle Leo... They've gone to that place too, so that means they... they won't be here..."  
  
"How come?" Helena dropped the pendant.  
  
"Wish I could tell you, believe me. The point is that... People will be sad for a while and there's going to be some stuff happening that you won't understand. But it'll get better eventually. You just have to be patient, okay?"  
  
"Okay," she nodded. Paige looked at her.  
  
"How would you like to go spend some time at Grandma Sherry and Grandpa Jack's house?"  
  
"Yeah!" she got excited.  
  
"Go start to pack some stuff, I'll come up to help you in a second, alright?" Helena nodded and went to her room. Paige went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dialed Jeannie Pratt's number. Since their daughters had become best friends, the two had formed a friendship as well. And when she witnessed a bit of magic as she was saved by the sisters, she knew to keep their secret and was a trusted ally.  
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
"Hey Jeannie, it's me. Can you come over for a few minutes right now, it's an emergency."  
  
"Uh, sure. Is everything alright?"  
  
"I'll tell you when you get here."  
  
Two minutes later, Jeannie and Allie Pratt arrived at the manor. The two had matching red hair, Jeannie in light waves, her daughter in full-on curls. Allie was four, like Helena, and they were inseparable. The one thing that could have set it in stone was that Allie knew Helena's secret, and thereby had an advantage over everybody else.  
  
"Hey guys," Paige greeted them as cheerfully as she could manage in the child's presence. "Allie, you can go up to see Helena, she's in her room." That was all she needed and she was off running up the stairs. Paige turned back to her friend, a small smile managing to sneak through as her eyes fell on her round belly. "How's your back?" she asked.  
  
"Painful," she laughed shortly before becoming serious again. "I just got home from a bunch of stuff and I was on the other line with Mrs. Peterman across the street when you called. She told me the police were here earlier? Is everything alright?" she asked with concern as they went to sit in the living room.  
  
"No... Things aren't right at all..." Paige started.  
  
"Does it have anything to do with this... and this?" she asked, nodding to her bandages.  
  
"There was a break-in this morning..."  
  
"Are your sisters alright?" Jeannie asked, though a feeling in her gut was telling her otherwise.  
  
"They... they were..." she couldn't say the word. "They didn't make it."  
  
"Oh my... Paige, I'm so sorry..." Jeannie hugged her, crying along with her. "Did they catch him? The guy who..."  
  
"It was a demon, and I took care of it."  
  
"I can't believe this, I just talked to Phoebe this morning when she dropped off... Geez, how are the kids?" The presence of her friend helped Paige.  
  
"Jason wanted to tell them himself, I don't know how it went... He's trying to cope too... Leo's gone and Prue... well, she's sleeping now. Listen, I'm taking Helena to her grandparents. I'm leaving her there for a couple days. I won't be able to give her the care she needs while I'm taking care of... everything else. I was wondering if you could stay here with Prue, in case she wakes up and all?"  
  
"Of course," Jeannie nodded.  
  
"Thank you," Paige smiled. Seconds later, Helena orbed in with Allie and her bags, all four of them.  
  
"Ready!" Helena announced. Paige got up and went to her. She picked up a few of the bags, and together they orbed to Chicago, to the home of Jack and Sherry Norwood. By now they knew to orb into the storeroom, in case people of the non-magic-knowing type were present. They rang a buzzer that had been installed there. A couple seconds later a buzzer rang from outside... coast was clear.  
  
"Gram!" Helena bounced out into the hall, soon finding and jumping into the arms of her grandmother.  
  
"How's my little angel witch?" Sherry hugged her tight. Helena looked down then back. Sherry looked up and saw Paige. "Sweetie, why don't you go say hi to Grandpa." She put her down and Helena ran off. "Paige, what happened?"  
  
"Demon attacked... Got two out of three..." she explained, inwardly breathing in and out to keep control.  
  
"Dear Lord..." Sherry gasped.  
  
"Could I leave Helena with you for a few days?" Paige asked.  
  
"Why yes, of course," Sherry nodded.  
  
"I hate to leave like this, but I have to get back to Prue." Sherry nodded again. "Helena's bags are in the other room. I'll call you as soon as possible to tell you more." With that, she orbed back to the manor.  
  
Jeannie was still on the couch, watching Allie play with some dolls on the ground. Seeing Paige had returned, she got up and went to her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"Right now I'm okay, but I might call you up on that later." Jeannie nodded and hugged her again.  
  
"Night or day, you need, you call, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Paige smiled. Jeannie got Allie from the living room and left with her without another word, only one last encouraging smile.  
  
Paige went up to Prue's room and looked in. She was still sleeping, though every now and then her face would squeeze shut. Paige went to sit next to her, held her hand until she settled down again. At that moment, she made a decision. What it would mean, for her, for the children, she wasn't sure. But at that very moment, there was nothing to stop her.  
  
She went down into the kitchen and grabbed an empty container. She opened the cupboard doors and began transferring the contents from the shelves into the container. All the magical herbs and things they used for potions and such. When she was done, she closed the lid tight and picked it up.  
  
Up the stairs she went again and into the attic. She went to a trunk and flipped the lid open. There were a few items in it. She took them out and placed the container inside. She went around the room and took all that had to do with magic, spells and potions, vanquishing, placed them with the rest at the bottom of the trunk. She took a velvet cloth and wrapped it around the Book, putting it in the trunk before closing it. She went to a drawer in a desk nearby and found a padlock and key. She locked the trunk before orbing herself with it to her room. After pushing it in her closet, under some blankets and boxes, she returned to the attic. More searching got her a silver locket on a chain. Cutting a picture she'd taken along, she placed the key in the locket and Helena's picture over it before putting it around her neck.  
  
Looking around the attic, she decided on a course of action. It took a while, but she rearranged the furniture, put away some of it. When she was done, it looked welcoming and held no trace of all that had gone on within these walls in the past twelve years and more. A few trips around the house later, she'd brought in more objects, toys and stuff. The children would be able to go up there now.  
  
"Paige, what are you doing?" a voice inside her head told her, a voice she knew was hers.  
  
"What I have to do. What I have to do for my family..." she whispered to herself.  
  
She left the attic and started walking the hall, stopping in front of Piper and Leo's old room. 'Old room...' The door was open. This morning a happy couple had woken up in that bad. This morning her sister had gotten ready for a busy day while in that room. This morning her brother-in-law was still here. This morning her sisters were alive.  
  
"And now they're gone..." she whispered to herself, and that only convinced her more that this was the right thing.  
  
"What would your sisters say?" the little voice told her. She closed the bedroom's door and started down the stairs.  
  
"My sisters can't say anything, not anymore. That's why I'm doing this... Now I'm talking to myself..." she muttered.  
  
There were so many ways this day had gone wrong. They'd lost so much. No more sisterly lunches at the restaurant. No more family dinners, not how they used to be. No more post-vanquish celebrations... something about those talks was comforting. It gave her a feeling of completion, a feeling of 'hey, we saved the day, we survived.'. This wouldn't be the case, not ever again. For once the demon had gotten the upper hand, and he'd ripped apart not just the Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches and his biggest threat. He'd ripped apart her family and the families of many others.  
  
Paige walked down the stairs and she felt freedom start to seep in. She felt breath start to come more easily. She walked into the living room and turned her head up to the ceiling. 


	8. Aftereffects

"Lauren, Peter, Cara, come down here right now!" she called up. Nothing happened. "Hey, did you hear me? You three come down here, okay? I need to talk to you! Lauren, Peter, Cara!" Finally they orbed in behind her. She turned to them and there was a silent moment. "I'll ignore the fact that you all probably knew this would happen, or that you might already know what I'm about to say. It will be heard. My sisters… are dead. There are no Charmed Ones anymore, just me. Just me and my daughter and my sisters' children. I want you to tell the elders I won't fight anymore, I won't make potions or say spells. The powers will remain but that is all there will be. That means if demons attack every now and then we'd be defenseless. But I figure after all we've done for you all we must have earned a few favors, right? It may sound selfish or something but under the circumstances, I'd say that's fair. As for the children, they might still need whitelighters, so I'm hoping I can still count on you three to do that." They nodded. "Good. You go tell them that." The three whitelighters looked at each other and orbed off.  
  
  
  
Once they were gone, the house was quiet again. She went to sit on the couch and the images still stored in her mind of this morning flashed through. Now that everything had been said and done, the pain of losing her sisters finally came crashing down on her and she fell asleep still crying an hour later.  
  
  
  
She was woken up by a hand tugging on her shirt. She opened her eyes and saw Prue was standing there, still looking extremely down. "I'm hungry," she told her aunt. Paige looked at her watch. It was midnight, and neither of them had eaten much that day she realized. Paige got up and went with her niece into the kitchen. Prue sat at the table and stared down at her shirt, playing with a dirt stain on it.  
  
  
  
Paige made two bowls of cookie dough ice cream with plates of fruit and took it all to the table. "I hope this is okay." Prue nodded and started eating her ice cream in silence. Paige ate hers in silence as well. "Do you want to talk?"  
  
  
  
"No…" Prue told her, focusing on her ice cream.  
  
  
  
"Okay." They continued to eat in silence, moving to the fruit after. When they were done, Paige put the plates away and turned back to Prue. "Do you want to stay with me tonight?" She shook her head and got up to head back upstairs. "Alright, well if you change your mind, my door's always open." She watched her go and sighed.  
  
  
  
Paige went to her room and changed before climbing into bed. As she was drifting off to sleep, she felt a weight on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Prue had come after all and lied down with her aunt. Paige smiled and closed her eyes again.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
A few days later  
  
  
  
Paige woke up and felt like suddenly it was four years ago again… funeral of not one but two of the people she was closest to in her life. She was scared to get up and do it, the past few days had been so difficult. But after the long grieving period she'd gone through when Eric died, she found she didn't cry as much. Her grief was evident, but after that first day she'd barely cried at all. She knew this day would be different though.  
  
  
  
It was still dark when she got up, so she was careful not to wake up Prue. She'd slept in her room each night, though she'd always wait until her aunt had gone to bed before joining her. During the day, she followed Paige around in silence. She would speak when needed, usually no more than five words at a time. Paige knew she'd start reacting soon enough, but she worried about just what this reaction would be. Today could reveal that.  
  
  
  
She went down into the kitchen and got the phone. "Hi Mommy!" Helena greeted her. She was an early riser, like Eric and the Norwoods.  
  
  
  
"Hey Froggy, how's it going? Having fun?" she smiled at the sound of her voice.  
  
  
  
"Yeah! We're going to the zoo today!"  
  
  
  
"You are? That's great!" Paige laughed. When she'd finished the call, she went to shower. Her hair was dried and left loose, the soft dark curls landing barely below her shoulders. She'd dyed her hair back the last summer, deciding it was time. She dressed, wearing a blue dress and the locket. She took her shoes out but kept her fuzzy slippers on.  
  
  
  
She went back in the kitchen and checked on the food in the refrigerator, dishes and such on the counter. When she'd done all she could do for the moment, she had breakfast then sat and waited. She didn't want this day, but it was here now. Her sisters deserved a good service and she'd be damned if they didn't get it. Besides, Prue and the others needed some strength.  
  
  
  
At seven, she went up to her room and sat on the edge of the bed. Prue was not a graceful sleeper. Pulling back the covers she found feet first. One arm was hanging over the edge of the bed, the other was over her eyes. Paige bent down to whisper in her niece's ear.  
  
  
  
"Sweetheart, you have to get up…" She could tell that she was awake and pretending to be still asleep. "Come on… I know you're awake.  
  
  
  
"I don't wanna go," she told her slowly, arm still over her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Prue…" Paige sighed. "I know it's hard. And it won't be pleasant, I won't lie. But this is something you'll be glad to have done in the long run as crazy as it may sound."  
  
  
  
"I don't care. I… I don't want to say goodbye," she cried. "I'm not ready," she slid her arm to her side without looking at her aunt still.  
  
  
  
"I wish I could make it all better for you honey, but I can't. That's one power I don't have." Prue sat up, looking down. Finally she looked up at Paige.  
  
  
  
"I'm scared," she cried. Paige's heart twisted as she hugged her niece.  
  
  
  
"I'll be right next to you the whole time, alright? You can hold my hand if you want," she soothed her, smoothing out her bed hair. "I realize it's extremely hard, and I won't force you to do anything. You want to go?" Prue pulled away, wiping at her tears.  
  
  
  
"I'll go," she told her aunt, avoiding the word 'want'. Paige put gentle hands on her niece's cheeks, pulling her face up to be eye to eye and wiping at tears with her fingers.  
  
  
  
"We'll get through this, I promise. You and me… Let's get through this day for now."  
  
  
  
Paige took Prue to her room. The girl had no will to do it, so her aunt dressed her. She worked at her hair, putting it in a long braid. She wanted to give her something… something to try and make her smile even just a tiny bit. She thought about a bracelet Piper had. Prue had always loved to try it on. When she was done for the most part, she told her she'd be right back and went to her sister's room.  
  
  
  
She looked through the jewelry, feeling a bit strange for doing it. As she rummaged through the small box, she saw something sticking out the back. She reached for it and pulled it out. It took her half a second to realize what it was and she had to sit down when she did. It was a pregnancy test, and it was positive. Her hand shook as she tried to grasp what that meant. She stuck it in her pocket and hurried to find the bracelet and get out. She returned to her niece's room and gave it to her. She thanked her and managed a tiny smile. They went downstairs and Prue sat at the window looking out. Paige looked at her as the bell rang. She went to answer. It was Jeannie, carrying a wrapped plate of food.  
  
  
  
"Hey, thanks for coming by early," Paige let her in.  
  
  
  
"No problem," Jeannie assured her.  
  
  
  
"I need to go somewhere for a minute, can you watch Prue?" Jeannie nodded. Paige orbed out and over to the Norwood home. "Froggy?" she called. The sound of feet running announced Helena's arrival, nearly tackling her.  
  
  
  
"Mommy!" Paige hugged her.  
  
  
  
"Hey baby, how are you?" she smiled.  
  
  
  
"Good!" Paige kneeled before her.  
  
  
  
"I need your help. You want to?" She nodded. Paige took out the stick in her pocket. "I need you to touch this, see if you can get a vision from it, okay?" Helena nodded again and touched the edge of the plastic object. Immediately she bowed her head with a shudder. Her eyes were closed and she remained this way for a few seconds. Finally, she looked up. "You saw something?" she nodded.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Piper holding the stick out to Uncle Leo, then Uncle Leo smiled and he picked up Aunt Piper and they laughed." Paige's stomach sank. "Why?"  
  
  
  
"It's a long story, I'll tell you later. I have to go now." Helena looked sad to see her go but happy to stay with her Grandmother. "Gimme a big kiss?" Helena obliged happily. "Thanks Froggy," she kissed her cheek and orbed back.  
  
  
  
When she arrived back at the manor, she heard voices. The Deans had arrived. Henry and his sisters, younger than Prue, had different attitudes. Henry, nearly five, looked mostly bummed out, but he played with his sisters. Emily and Charlotte at two years old couldn't understand what was going on. They figured this would remain the case for some time, so the others tried to tiptoe around the subject when they were around.  
  
  
  
Jeannie's soon-to-be-husband Matt was watching the kids. He also knew about their secret. Paige gave him a nod and headed into the kitchen. Jeannie was setting down a cup in front of Jason, sitting at the table. Seeing Paige, she left the two alone and went into the living room.  
  
  
  
"Hi," Paige greeted her brother-in-law. He looked at her, his face showing how little sleep he'd gotten lately. He got up and they hugged. "How are you doing today?"  
  
  
  
"Not good, same as before," he admitted. They sat.  
  
  
  
"I'd dreaded the fact a day like this would come… but it didn't prepare me as well as I'd hoped," Paige told him, her voice steady, sad.  
  
  
  
"You seem okay…" he dared.  
  
  
  
"It's a mask. It hurts all the same, just inside. If I'd let it come, I couldn't get through all this…" He nodded. "Doesn't seem real, does it?" He looked down.  
  
  
  
"I still expect to wake up and realize it was just a horrible nightmare. Only it hasn't happened yet."  
  
  
  
"When Eric was killed it was like that too. I didn't want to admit to myself he was gone, that I'd never see him again. Eventually, I just had to."  
  
  
  
"But what about your mother, your grandmother, the first Prue… they've been here… Can't Phoebe and Piper…" Paige shook her head.  
  
  
  
"Not for some years, at least… Prue was dead seven years before she was even allowed to visit." Jason appeared to gather courage from that thought.  
  
  
  
"Are you saying I could see her again eventually? The kids…" Paige nodded. "Thank you," he took her hand and smiled for a second before standing and walking off. He wanted to say something else, she'd felt it. He just wasn't ready.  
  
  
  
Two hours later, they began leaving, little by little. Prue followed her aunt closely, keeping a firm grasp of her hand. They drove out to the church. Walking in, seeing the two coffins at the front, her legs threatened to give out, but she willed them to carry her on. Prue reached out to be picked up and Paige did it without missing a beat.  
  
  
  
The service began, and so did the tears. She didn't know how she did it, but she managed to keep her head clear enough that she was able to hear it all. She continued to remind herself she needed to be strong, and she mostly achieved her goal.  
  
  
  
After the service, they headed to the cemetery. Once again Paige carried her niece, kept her close as she watched her sisters being placed in two spaces, next to their eldest sister. It all seemed so surreal right there. It was just appalling to think that their father was lucky to have been taken by illness last winter, so he wouldn't have to see this… all of his daughters gone, that now he and Patty were forever with their girls.  
  
  
  
When it was time to leave, return home to receive guests, Prue didn't want to leave, not yet. Plaques laid in place now read 'Piper Halliwell – 1973-2010' and 'Phoebe Halliwell – 1975-2010'. Prue reached up to touch her mother's name. Paige stood back, waited until Prue was good and ready to leave. 'I'll make it better for you all one day… count on it…' Paige thought to herself, grasping the locket around her neck. About twenty minutes later, Prue brought her hand down and turned toward her aunt, head bowed for a few seconds before she looked up.  
  
  
  
"I'm ready to go home now." Paige nodded, and they walked out, hand-in-hand.  
  
  
  
They drove home, where guests had already started to arrive and mingle. Paige took Prue aside and crouched before her. "Do you want me to stay with you?"  
  
  
  
"It's okay." Paige smiled as best she could, though it was hard when she saw her so sad.  
  
  
  
"Alright," she took the girl's hands. "But if there's anything you need, you come see me, alright?" She nodded. "Okay," Paige kissed her hands before walking over to the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water, drinking it down in just a few short gulps. As she put it down and turned, she came face to face with Jason. She gasped.  
  
  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"  
  
  
  
"I-It's okay," Paige assured him.  
  
  
  
"I need to ask you a favor…"  
  
  
  
"What is it?" she asked, sensing a hint of 'make or break' in his voice.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe once told me that your grandmother took away their powers when they were children and that they forgot it all until twelve years ago." Paige nodded. "Could it be possible… No… I want my children to live normal lives. I want their powers taken away." Some part of her had known this might happen, but still another part was shocked.  
  
  
  
"Jason… I understand why you want to do this, but there are issues."  
  
  
  
"Like what?"  
  
  
  
"Like… I don't know what I'm going to do about Helena and Prue's powers yet. I'm not sure I want to take Helena's, and as for Prue, never minding the fact she's reached an age where she'd remember, I'm not sure it's my decision to take. And if they keep their powers and the twins don't…"  
  
  
  
"I don't care. I want them… normal." Paige's heart seemed too tight.  
  
  
  
"Fine, bring them over tomorrow afternoon…"  
  
  
  
"After the guests are gone. Today," he cut in.  
  
  
  
"If you say so," Paige agreed. He walked out.  
  
  
  
A few hours later, Paige flagged down Darryl. She needed to know… if he knew. She dragged him to the kitchen, then the basement.  
  
  
  
"Paige, what is it?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"I need to check something with you…"  
  
  
  
"What?" he asked. She appeared to be bracing herself, taking deep breaths with her hands on her hips. Finally, she looked up.  
  
  
  
"The autopsy… they did one, right?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah… they did," he confirmed grimly. "They didn't find out your secret if that's…"  
  
  
  
"No, that's not…" she sighed. "Piper… did they find anything?"  
  
"Like…" he asked slowly.  
  
  
  
"A fetus…" He looked at her, shocked.  
  
  
  
"You knew Piper was pregnant?"  
  
  
  
"I just found out this morning when I found the test." She ran a tired hand through her hair. "Just when I thought I'd heard the worst of all this…"  
  
  
  
"I wasn't sure if you knew, I didn't want to…"  
  
  
  
"Thank you," Paige tried to smile. He nodded.  
  
  
  
"How are you doing?"  
  
  
  
"Better than I thought I would. It still doesn't seem real, but at the same time it does. And Prue… I'm scared for her. I lost my parents too, but I was older… she's still so young…" she cried and Darryl hugged her.  
  
  
  
"We'll all be here for both of you, and Jason and the kids."  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, they returned to the gathering. People came to her one after the other, offering their sympathies. Before she knew it, the last of the guests were leaving. She looked for Prue but couldn't find her. Jason came to her. She knew what he wanted.  
  
  
  
"I know. Stay here with Henry, find Prue, I'll take care of it."  
  
  
  
"You're not taking Henry?"  
  
  
  
"He doesn't have powers to bind, Jason. Just find Prue, stay with her."  
  
  
  
"So you're leaving her the way she is?"  
  
  
  
"She's old enough to be trusted not to use her powers in front of the others, she wouldn't forget." She paused. "When I bring Helena back… I'll bind hers." The decision had been hard to make, but it would be better this way… she hoped.  
  
  
  
She went to her room and, earlier than she thought she might, she opened the trunk. After taking what she'd need, she put the trunk back. "Forgive me Phoebe…" she whispered before going to get the girls. She took them to the attic. They never even knew what was going on as Paige told them to sit on the ground. She did all she had to do, then after a few seconds of hesitation…  
  
  
  
"I take your hands in mine  
  
And with this string I will entwine  
  
Your powers I'll forever bind  
  
From now until the end of time."  
  
  
  
When it was done she returned downstairs with Emily and Charlotte. They went to their brother as Jason came to her.  
  
  
  
"I've done it. However I don't know if their 'psychic connection' is something the spell will have been able to take away."  
  
  
  
"I can deal with that."  
  
  
  
Paige looked around. "Where's Prue?"  
  
  
  
** EARLIER **  
  
  
  
Prue had gotten tired of people looking at her, so she sat behind some curtains. She saw her Aunt Paige approach her Uncle Darryl and drag him off. She didn't know why but she felt compelled to follow them.  
  
  
  
She watched them go in the basement. She didn't like that place ever since her Aunt Phoebe had told her about the "Woogyman", so she stood at the door and listened.  
  
  
  
"You knew Piper was pregnant?" Darryl said. Prue's eyes grew wide and her hands shook.  
  
  
  
"And Prue… I'm scared for her. I lost my parents too, but I was older… she's still so young…" Prue wiped at the tears on her cheeks and ran out the back door."  
  
  
  
**  
  
  
  
"I didn't find her anywhere…"  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige asked as the phone rang. She went to pick it up. "Hello?"  
  
  
  
"Paige Matthews?" a woman's voice spoke.  
  
  
  
"Yes, who's this?"  
  
  
  
"I'm calling from San Francisco Memorial. I have a child here, we've identified her as Prudence Halliwell, is she your daughter?" Paige gasped.  
  
  
  
"No, s-she's my niece…" she snapped her fingers at Jason. "What happened, is she okay?"  
  
  
  
"She was hit by a car. She has a broken arm and a mild concussion."  
  
  
  
"O-okay, I'll be there soon. Is she awake?"  
  
  
  
"No, she's sleeping."  
  
  
  
"Well… if she wakes up, could someone… tell her I'm on my way?"  
  
  
  
"Of course." Paige hung up the phone and ran to take her keys.  
  
  
  
"Grab the kids, we have to go!" she told Jason.  
  
  
  
Fifteen minutes later Paige ran through the double-doors of the hospital. Jason was parking the car and getting the kids out of their seats. "Can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked.  
  
  
  
"My niece was brought here, Prudence Halliwell?" She checked the charts.  
  
  
  
"She's in room 304."  
  
  
  
Paige went up to the room. Her niece slept peacefully, her long braid at her side. Her lower left arm was in a cast, and she had a few bruises here and there. Paige walked up to the bed just as Prue began to stir.  
  
  
  
"Hey Angel… It's okay…" she took her right hand, kissing her fingers all squeezed in a ball.  
  
  
  
"Where am I?" she whispered, slowly opening her eyes.  
  
  
  
"You're at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?" Prue seemed to do just that, but she didn't say anything.  
  
  
  
"My… head hurts," she squeezed her eyes shut again.  
  
  
  
"Do you want me to let you sleep?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah… You're not leaving, right?"  
  
  
  
"I'll be right here, don't you worry." Paige closed the light and pulled up a chair by the bed.  
  
To be continued... 


	9. New Friends, Old Friends

A/N: Again, thank you so much for the comments :) Really appreciate it :D  
  
Chub: I can't say much without revealing anything, so I'll just say this... chapter fifteen ;)  
  
---  
  
The next day, July 20th 2010 – Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
Around noon they were told Prue could go home, so that was what they did. Prue was still sleeping so Paige carried her up to her bed. She then returned downstairs and got the phone for the now-routine daily call to Helena.  
  
  
  
"Hi Mommy!"  
  
  
  
"Hey Froggy, how are you?" she silently cried at the sound of her little voice.  
  
  
  
"Good! Grandma Sherry is showing me magic tricks!"  
  
  
  
"Really," she smiled, remembering she still had to take care of that. "Can you put Grandma on the phone?"  
  
  
  
"Okay!" She heard her run off. "GRAAANDMA!" Helena was shouting. Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"Paige, how are you doing?"  
  
  
  
"I… I don't know. The last couple of days have went by so fast… I…" She sighed. "Listen, Prue had an accident yesterday. I'll need you to keep Helena for two more days, then I'll bring her home. I miss her too much to be away much longer."  
  
  
  
"That's fine," Sherry told her, "Is Prue alright?"  
  
  
  
"Arm's broken, and she had a… mild concussion. She'll be okay."  
  
  
  
"That's good news."  
  
  
  
"Sherry, there's something else I need to talk to you about."  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"Just try to understand this is for the best… When I bring Helena back, I'll be binding her powers."  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"Until then, just don't let her see magic stuff, please?"  
  
  
  
"But Paige…"  
  
  
  
"The decision was hard enough to make. I don't want to reconsider… It might not be forever."  
  
  
  
"She's our only grandchild, the only one we'll ever have. I just thought… we would be able to share this with her."  
  
  
  
"I'm really sorry."  
  
  
  
"Don't be."  
  
  
  
After she finished talking to Sherry, Paige talked to Helena a while longer before hanging up. At that point she unplugged the living room TV set and VCR and orbed them to Prue's room along with a stack of movies. She set it all up and went to sit next to her, waiting for her to wake up. That came at one o'clock.  
  
  
  
"Hey Angel," Paige smiled. "How are you feeling?"  
  
  
  
"My head is better, but my arm still hurts."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought. But you know what? Today, tomorrow, you don't have to lift a finger. You just lie here, relax, we watch movies, eat whatever we want, and we make sure you get all better. How does that sound?"  
  
  
  
"Good," Prue smiled a bit.  
  
  
  
"But first you and I need to have a talk." Prue's smile faded.  
  
  
  
"I know."  
  
  
  
"What happened yesterday?" Prue hesitated.  
  
  
  
"I… I heard you and Uncle Darryl talking… in the basement."  
  
  
  
"Oh honey…"  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
  
  
"I didn't know how to yet… I was waiting for a better time."  
  
  
  
"What's going to happen now?"  
  
  
  
"Well… from now on I'll be taking care of you. I won't lie, it will be hard, but you're a strong girl and I know you can do it."  
  
  
  
"Do you think… they're happy?" Prue asked. Paige looked at her. Piper really had done a wonderful job with her. She was very scared of screwing it all up at that moment.  
  
  
  
"I don't know. We can't really know what's going on up there… I'm sure though they wish they could be here with us. At the least we know they're safe. No one will hurt them anymore."  
  
  
  
"I would have been a good big sister, right?"  
  
  
  
"A great big sister. And you still can be. I mean technically you and Helena are sisters now."  
  
  
  
"Yeah," the girl smiled briefly.  
  
  
  
"There's one more thing we need to talk about. I have bound Emily and Charlotte's powers, and I'll be doing it for Helena too when she gets back. Do you know what binding powers is?" Prue shook her head. "Well, it's not taking them away but close. They won't be able to use them and we won't be doing magic in front of them or Henry. Eventually they'll… forget."  
  
  
  
"What about me?"  
  
  
  
"I've decided to let you keep them. You're at an age where you wouldn't easily forget and also I think you can be trusted with keeping that part of our lives hidden from them."  
  
  
  
"Is it because of what happened to Mom and Aunt Phoebe?"  
  
  
  
"Kind of…" Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"Okay." Paige smiled and kissed her cheek.  
  
  
  
"I love you Angel…" Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
Over the next two days Paige and Prue watched just about every movie they had. In a way neither expected, it helped the two of them to bond in a whole new manner. By the time the morning of Helena's return came around, both were in a noticeably improved state of mind. They hadn't forgotten the sadness, the pain of their loss, but they were slowly accepting the change.  
  
  
  
Jason was having problems on his side. Dealing with the three children on his own was harder and harder. First there was Henry. He continued to have nightmares many times every night, and he almost had to be force-fed, coaxed to play. And the girls were a whole different story. As it turned out, the binding spell had indeed taken their 'psychic connection'. The loss of that put them in a frenzy and Jason had trouble keeping up with them. So last night he took them and they left for some 'refocus' time away.  
  
  
  
Paige left Prue alone while she went to get Helena at her grandparents'. She insisted she'd be fine and it wouldn't take long. So off she went. The second she rematerialized a small mass tackled her to the ground.  
  
  
  
"MOMMY!" Helena squealed, hugging her tight. Paige laughed.  
  
  
  
"Hi Froggy! How's my girl? Ready to go home?"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
  
  
"Alright, go get your stuff." Helena sprung up and ran off. Paige sat up wincing as she held up her bandaged wrist. She stood just as Sherry walked in. She hugged her almost-daughter.  
  
  
  
"I know you must have been asked a million times in the past week but how are you?"  
  
  
  
"I'm not sure… Things are about to become more real… Realizing that is just hard."  
  
  
  
"So you're really going to do this?" Sherry asked, and Paige knew what about.  
  
  
  
"When we get home," Paige confirmed.  
  
  
  
"I was hoping you'd change your mind," Sherry gave a small smile. "You know once that's done… she won't be able to come unless she's on a plane… What do you intend to tell her?" Taking away her daughter's grandparents wasn't her intention.  
  
  
  
"That from now on you'll be coming to us…"  
  
  
  
"Which means that from now on we'll have to lie to her…"  
  
  
  
"It's the only way."  
  
  
  
When Helena returned, she hugged her grandmother tightly and went to stand with her mother as they orbed home. They arrived in Helena's room, where they left the bags before heading downstairs. They found Prue in the kitchen, trying to make herself a snack and having a tough time with it. She sighed and dropped the spoon before looking up at her aunt and cousin.  
  
  
  
"Hi Helena!" The four-year-old ran over and hugged her. Prue kept her broken arm out of the way, using the other to return the hug. "Do you want some ice cream too?" Prue asked. Helena looked back to her mother, who was nodding.  
  
  
  
"Yes, please!"  
  
  
  
"With sprinkles?"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh!"  
  
  
  
"Do you need a hand with that? I happen to have one free one as well," she held up both her hands. Prue laughed.  
  
  
  
"I can do it, Helena can help," she affirmed, to which her cousin nodded. "Want some?"  
  
  
  
"Sure! Why not?" Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"Can we watch a movie in my room?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"I'll go set it up."  
  
  
  
A few minutes later the three of them were up in Prue's room, sitting down to their movie and ice cream. When night came, she tucked in Prue before returning to Helena's room. She was sleeping now so it would have to be the time. She went to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at her daughter. She was so precious, so full of life. That had gone into her decision. She used to think about someday teaching Helena all she knew about magic, kind of like her sisters had done for her all those years ago. But losing her sisters had changed everything. And binding Helena's powers seemed the only way.  
  
  
  
"Mommy?" she started to wake. Paige leaned down and kissed her forehead.  
  
  
  
"It's okay Froggy. Go back to sleep," she smiled, looking into her chocolate eyes. She nodded and she settled again, sleeping within minutes. Paige reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Everything will be just fine."  
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
I take your hands in mine  
  
And with this string I will entwine  
  
Your powers I'll forever bind  
  
From now until the end of time.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
September 6th 2010  
  
  
  
Prue walked into the classroom with the others. The desks were put together in sets of four. She sat next to another girl as the teacher indicated their places. According to the name the teacher spoke, the girl at her side was called Keely Hendrix. As the others were being assigned their places, Prue crossed her arms and laid her head on the desk. Moments like these made her miss her parents most of all. Moments where they would have been there… like the first day of school. They had said they'd have a special breakfast the three of them that morning. But it hadn't come. They were gone. She hadn't told her aunt about it. She didn't want to bother her with something like that. She was working hard to make things work.  
  
  
  
When everyone was seated the teacher introduced herself as Miss Horn. After lunch, she told them they would do an activity so they could get to know each other. They each had to stand, say their name, and talk about their family. Prue looked anguished. The kids at her station began.  
  
  
  
"My name is Caroline Hughes, I live with my Mom, Mike, and my little sister Jamie. Sometimes we live with my Dad."  
  
  
  
"My name is Norah Garry, I have a Mommy, a Daddy, two big brothers and a little brother, and a parrot. My Nana lives with us too."  
  
  
  
"My name is Keely Hendrix. I was born in China, and I was adopted when I was a baby. I have a dog, no brothers or sisters."  
  
  
  
Prue was lost in space, didn't hear the teacher call her name as she traced her aunt's signature with the smiley face. She nearly jumped to the ceiling when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The other kids were laughing, giggling in their hands. All except Keely and the girls across from them, Caroline and Norah. Miss Horn was standing next to her. Prue looked down again.  
  
  
  
"It's Prue, right?" she asked kindly as she crouched to her eye level. Prue nodded. "Don't worry. You don't have to do this. Your Aunt explained to me this morning. Okay?" Prue nodded again and Miss Horn stood. "Alright, settle down. This is Prue. Bobby you're next."  
  
  
  
And with that they continued. At the end of the day, Keely turned to Prue. "Can I ask about your arm?"  
  
  
  
"I got hit by a car," Prue picked up her bag.  
  
  
  
"Does it hurt?"  
  
  
  
"Not a lot now…"  
  
  
  
"What about… before, at the questions?" Prue swung her bag over her shoulder and started out of the class.  
  
  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Keely followed.  
  
  
  
"Why?" she asked as they walked down the hall, where parents were meeting up with their children.  
  
  
  
"I just don't want to." She realized she may have sounded harsh to this girl who seemed simply interested. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm not usually like this."  
  
  
  
"It's okay," Keely smiled. "I understand. You don't have to say anything." Just then a woman called Keely's name. "That's my Mom. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Prue!" she waved to her as she walked off with her mother. Prue smiled despite herself, thinking about her mother… her mother who would never be there again. Reality hit like a ton of bricks, as it usually did. Prue sat by the lockers, on the cold floor, hugging her knees close with her bag and lunchbox at her side.  
  
  
  
"Hey Angel." She looked up as her Aunt crouched next to her. "Had a good day?" Prue shrugged. "Come on. I think I have something that will make it better…" Paige helped her up and they left the school. They drove off and Prue quickly noticed they weren't on the path toward home.  
  
  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
  
  
"You'll see." They continued like this, in silence, for a few more minutes before Paige stopped the car. "Here we are." They got out and walked down the sidewalk until Prue had to stop before she bumped into her aunt. She looked at where they were. "I seem to remember hearing something about your wanting a dog…" She was right. Prue had gone to her to ask if her mother would say yes. She said there was only one way to find out. So the next day she did… the day…  
  
  
  
"N-No… I don't want… I don't want to go in there," she shook her head, backing up a couple steps.  
  
  
  
"Why not?" Paige asked, but the look on her niece's face was all the explanation she needed. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry… I didn't think about… Prue?"  
  
  
  
As she'd been talking, Prue had started looking past her, and now she was walking there, into the alley. Paige followed. Prue continued walking slowly, then kneeled down held her hand out toward a box lying against the wall. A few seconds later, a small cat carefully stepped out, heading toward the girl with the outstretched hand. It looked up at her with an almost inquisitive 'Meow?'. Prue laughed a little. She looked up at her aunt.  
  
  
  
"Can we take her home?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know. It might belong to someone, or it could…"  
  
  
  
"Please? Please Aunt Paige?" She couldn't say no to those little eyes.  
  
  
  
"We'll have 'her' checked out, and if she doesn't belong to anyone we'll see." Prue gave her a big smile before looking down. The cat was hitting the box, which fell down to a bottom-to-the-ground position. She hopped in and looked up at Prue with another 'Meow?'. Prue picked up the box. They returned to the car. By the time they got home the feline slept all rolled up in the box.  
  
  
  
"Misty's sleeping," Prue announced.  
  
  
  
"Misty?" Paige repeated.  
  
  
  
"My cat!"  
  
  
  
"She's not quite 'your cat' yet. And how do you know it's a girl?"  
  
  
  
"I just do. And I think she will be my friend for a long time."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
September 7th 2010 – Paris, France  
  
  
  
Jason looked out the window of his home. Phoebe would have loved it… maybe that's why he'd chosen it. They'd been here for a few days, still unpacking. He'd taken the job without hesitation. Staying in San Francisco too long would remind him of her too much and he wasn't ready… He, along with the children, had spent little time there since she was taken from them. It was better this way for now. He really wanted to believe that.  
  
  
  
"Daddy!" a small voice called from above. It was Henry. Within seconds the girls' cries could be heard. Jason sighed and went up to Henry's room.  
  
  
  
"Hang on buddy, I'll be here in a second." He ran to Emily and Charlotte's room. He quickly got them back to sleep and went back to his son's room. "Had another nightmare?" he asked as he picked up the five-year-old. "Hadn't had one in almost a week. Did something happen?" he asked, comforting him as best possible.  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Henry cried, hugging his father tightly.  
  
  
  
"It's okay, it's over now. Think you can sleep again?"  
  
  
  
"D-Don't go…"  
  
  
  
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here," he put him down and pulled up the covers. He sat on the ground next to the bed. He picked up the small picture frame on Henry's night table. It had been taken in Hawaii. Jason, Phoebe, Henry, and the twins on the beach. 'We miss you… more than you'd imagine. You made everything work, Phoebe. We're lost without you…' he thought. He put the picture back a minute later and looked up. Henry was sleeping. Jason grabbed a big stuffed bear and placed it under his head, finding sleep shortly after.  
  
  
  
Henry wasn't the only one having nightmares. Jason had them too. For so long he'd been worried that someday Phoebe's witchcraft would get her and/or the kids hurt, or worse. He wanted to tell her, but he knew what it meant to her and for people in trouble… so he'd kept his mouth shut. Now he felt partly responsible. He had to make it all work now, make sure they were safe. He owed it to Phoebe.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
February 16th 2011 – San Francisco  
  
"Happy birthday!" Keely greeted her friend as she walked in to the manor.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Prue smiled. "Come on," she led her upstairs to her room. "You can put your bags over there," she pointed to the space that had been cleared. Prue and her friends would have a sleepover, her very first.  
  
  
  
"What do we do until the others get here?"  
  
  
  
"You can change into your PJs," she indicated her own which she'd been wearing for a few hours now. They were a present from her Aunt.  
  
  
  
"Okay!" She went into the bathroom and changed. When she returned Prue was sitting on her bed with Misty in her lap. Keely came to sit with her.  
  
  
  
"Remember the first day of class?" Prue asked her friend, not quite looking into her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Sure. You had trouble with introductions."  
  
  
  
"My… my mother had died less than two months before."  
  
  
  
"What?" Keely asked. It was the first time Prue opened up about herself. She was usually pretty private.  
  
  
  
"And that same day… my father left." She looked up at her friend. They were both crying.  
  
  
  
"Why are you telling me now?"  
  
  
  
"Because… You're my best friend." Keely hugged her. When she pulled back, Prue held out her smallest finger. "You can't tell anyone, alright? Pinkie swear?" Keely locked her small finger with Prue's.  
  
  
  
"Pinkie swear." They wiped the tears away as the bell rang.  
  
  
  
"Prue! You have guests!" her aunt's voice floated in. The girls smiled at each other and ran off, Misty close behind. As they arrived down on the first floor they saw Caroline and Norah had arrived. There was much hugging and squealing.  
  
  
  
Paige returned to the kitchen, where she was working on both the cake and snacks. Her praise for her niece continued to grow day to day. Her recovery had been hard but now she appeared to have moved on to a point where she lived her life happily. Still there were times where she'd just walk up to her aunt and squeeze her tight, her slim frame shaking just enough that Paige could feel it.  
  
  
  
The disappearance of magic in their lives had gone over better than she'd thought it would. There hadn't been a single attack. She still felt guilty knowing there could be innocents out there without protection. But without her sisters she had neither strength to go on nor the assurance that one of them would still be there for the children. They'd had to become her priority now, trading in her spells and potions for bedtime stories and snacks.  
  
  
  
But that did not mean magic would let itself be forgotten. She'd lost the count of how many times she'd spotted Lauren, Peter, or Cara standing at a distance as she went out with the kids. They never approached her, but still they were there. And a few times she'd had to redirect people who came to the manor looking for help unaware that the Charmed Ones were no more. Finally there was her grandmother, her mother, her eldest sister coming to check in on her every once in a while. Grams had been almost outraged that Paige had turned her back on the craft this way. And since none of them would tell her how Piper and Phoebe were, their visits had become almost so repetitive that they would annoy her. It didn't mean she didn't love them anymore, but part of them didn't seem to understand what this whole ordeal had been like for her and the others.  
  
  
  
She couldn't lie to herself. She missed it. The thrill of going after the bad guys, saving their would-be victims… It was rewarding, made her feel like she was someone important, part of something great and meaningful. Yes, there had been risks taken, they would often get hurt, and they didn't always get to the people in time… but it had been a major part of her life. Without it, who knew what her life would have been… she might never even have been born. She didn't like to think about things like that, but she didn't have control over it…  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
September 17 2011  
  
  
  
Helena ran around the house, the necklace she'd received on her fifth birthday dangling side to side. She ran past her mother's room and heard her name called. She doubled back and walked in.  
  
  
  
"Come here," her mother waved her over, sitting on the edge of her bed. Helena did as told, coming to sit on her lap. "Look what I got…" she held something up.  
  
  
  
"Pictures from vacation!" she squealed.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I finally got around to getting them developed."  
  
  
  
"Can we put them in my album?"  
  
  
  
"Of course!"  
  
  
  
The past July, they had all gone on vacation. They knew the mood would be tense on the 15th, the first anniversary of that day that had changed everything. So to try and ease things, they'd headed to Italy, thanks to Jason's connections. It had served its purpose, and the one year mark passed more or less unnoticed.  
  
  
  
The children didn't remember having powers anymore, Prue kept hers hidden well. She was the strength they all needed to make things work. Jason had less difficulty remaining in San Francisco, though it was still hard. Henry only had nightmares rarely. The twins, as they'd been forced to realize, didn't remember their mother all that much anymore. Leo hadn't shown up once since the day he disappeared with that request for his daughter. Paige worried sometimes that her outburst had made him leave, but she'd remind herself that he was in pain too, that he'd lost Piper and their unborn second child. She hoped for Prue's sake that he'd one day return. Sometimes Prue thought she could feel his presence, so she latched on to the hope that it meant her father would be with her again someday.  
  
  
  
The phone rang, bringing Paige back to reality. Helena ran to get it. "Hello? Simon!" Paige looked at her with a small smile. Simon… and so it began. "Hang on, I'll ask my mom." She looked up at her. "Mom, can I go play at Simon's house?"  
  
  
  
"Did he ask his parents?"  
  
  
  
"Did you ask your dad?" Helena spoke into the phone. A second later she turned back to her mother. "Yes."  
  
  
  
"And he said it was okay?"  
  
  
  
"And he said it was okay?" Helena repeated. "Yes."  
  
  
  
"Alright then. Do you have his address?" Helena nodded. "Okay. I'll drive you." Helena squealed.  
  
  
  
"I'm coming, bye Simon!" she hung up before running off to get her jacket. A minute later they were in the car. During the drive, Helena told her mother what she knew about this Simon boy. She informed her that he was turning five in one month, that his parents were divorced and he'd lived in San Francisco with his father for about two months. His mother still lived in their old city.  
  
  
  
They arrived at the address Helena had shown Paige from her book. She hurried to get her out of the car, knowing how she got if she had to wait too long. They went up to the door and Helena rang the bell. A few seconds later they heard a child's voice.  
  
  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
  
  
"Simon it's me!" Helena responded.  
  
  
  
"Oh!" He opened the door. He was Helena's height, dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. "Hi!" he greeted his friend.  
  
  
  
"Hi!" Helena repeated. "This is my Mom," she pointed to Paige. Simon waved.  
  
  
  
"Is it okay if I talk to your dad for a second?" she asked the boy.  
  
  
  
"He's in the kitchen," he told her quickly before turning to Helena. "Wait 'til you see what I got!" The kids ran off and Paige laughed before starting down the hall. As she approached she could hear some noise, something like an electric screwdriver. She walked in and right away spotted the legs sticking out from inside a cabinet. The man she guessed must have been Simon's father reached out, trying to grab a pot of screws that was just out of his reach. Paige bent over and handed it to him.  
  
  
  
"Here…"  
  
  
  
"Thanks. You must be Helena's mom…" He sat and looked up. Both froze, eyes locked. When they finally spoke, it was all at once.  
  
  
  
"Paige?"  
  
"Glen?"  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
  
  
"I live here."  
  
"I came to drop off my daughter."  
  
  
  
"Your daughter?"  
  
"This is your house?"  
  
  
  
"Mine and my son Simon's."  
  
"Yeah, my daughter Helena."  
  
  
  
He held up his hand so the double-talk would stop. "I can't believe how long it's been…"  
  
  
  
"We lost contact, how did that happen?"  
  
  
  
"It's a long story… So… you have a daughter?"  
  
  
  
"And you have a son… you're divorced?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah. How'd you know?"  
  
  
  
"Simon told Helena, then she told me."  
  
  
  
"What about you? Married?" She looked down for a second.  
  
  
  
"No, uh… Helena's father died when she was a baby."  
  
  
  
"Sorry."  
  
  
  
"She's a happy kid, I'm just glad for that."  
  
  
  
"How'd it happen?" he asked, and the look on her face was all he needed. He stood. "I'm sure he was a great guy."  
  
  
  
"He was," she nodded with a smile. At that moment the kids ran in.  
  
  
  
"Daddy?" Paige and Glen turned. "Can we play in the backyard?"  
  
  
  
"Sure," he opened the door. The kids ran through. The two parents walked out to keep an eye on them.  
  
  
  
"Marco!" Simon called out, eyes closed and hands searching the air around him. Helena bounced around him.  
  
  
  
"Polo!" she called before bouncing back. Simon turned toward the sound and started running after her. She giggled and looked back at him. "You have to keep your eyes closed!"  
  
  
  
"I am!"  
  
  
  
"Are not!" she stuck her tongue out, then her face broke into a smile. "My turn!" She closed her eyes and Simon took off. "Marco!"  
  
  
  
"Polo!" Paige and Glen looked on, laughing at how much the kids reminded them of their own childhoods.  
  
  
  
Seeing as Prue was having dinner at Norah's home, Paige gladly accepted Glen's invitation for her and Helena to eat with him and Simon. The kids busy chatting and eating, they were able to have a conversation of their own.  
  
  
  
"How long ago?" Glen asked Paige when she told him about her sisters.  
  
  
  
"A year last July," she told him slowly. "Shortly after that we took away all but Piper's daughter's 'owerspay'. They don't remember now…" she explained to Glen, making sure Helena wouldn't catch on to the subject.  
  
  
  
"I see…"  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you were back in San Francisco?"  
  
  
  
"I'm still settling into everything, and… I wasn't sure what to say. We haven't seen or talked to each other in almost seven years and…"  
  
  
  
"Hey it's okay I mean… I haven't exactly been keeping tabs on you either." They shared a smile. "Question is… Now that we know where we are, what happens?" They looked at the children laughing together.  
  
  
  
"I don't know. But if something's meant to happen I'm sure it will."  
  
TBC 


	10. Outofhome Angels

October 14 2011 – Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
"Last load has arrived," Glen walked in carrying a box.  
  
  
  
"Good," Paige made her way through the pack of kids running through. "Guys, careful alright?" she laughed.  
  
  
  
"It just figures, you know?"  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"Right when everything is placed and fixed we just packed it up again." Paige placed her arms around his waist once he'd put the box down.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry, would you like to go back?" she asked innocently.  
  
  
  
"Let me think about that…" She kissed him. "I'll be just fine here."  
  
  
  
"I'm sure you will," she laughed, picking up a box and walking up the stairs. She dropped it off in her room… their room now. She looked around with a sigh. There was still a feeling in her like she was betraying Eric by doing this. 'He'd want you to be happy…' a little voice whispered in her mind. That was true, and Glen made her really happy, gave Helena a father figure at last… but it would never go away, that feeling, only learned to be dealt with.  
  
  
  
Then there was a scream from downstairs. "PAIGE!" she heard Glen shout. She ran out of her room and down the stairs where she found the kids and Glen huddled around Prue. She was on the floor, hands clamped to her ears, eyes shut as tears ran down her face and mumbling to herself.  
  
  
  
"Prue! What's wrong?" she asked her niece frantically as she kneeled at her side. She noticed she looked like she was about to start flying. She picked her up and started up the stairs. She got her to her room and closed the door. "Prue!" she put her down and the girl immediately took off, twirling through the air, her position otherwise unchanged. Paige hurried to close the curtains before turning to her airborne niece. "Prue, please come down…" she pleaded. It took some time but finally she did. Paige was at her side soon after. "Prue…"  
  
  
  
"So many… so many…" she was mumbling.  
  
  
  
"So many what?" Paige asked her.  
  
  
  
"So many… so many… voices… in my head… so many voices…"  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Make it stop… please!" she cried. Paige scrambled to her closet and pullet out a box on top of the trunk. She placed the candles in it in a circle on the floor and lit them, hurriedly speaking.  
  
  
  
"Hear these words, hear my cry,  
  
Spirit from the other side.  
  
Come to me, I summon thee,  
  
Cross now the great divide."  
  
  
  
Within seconds Penny Halliwell materialized in the circle. She walked to her great-granddaughter. "It's okay darling, everything will be just fine…"  
  
  
  
"Grams, what's wrong with her?"  
  
  
  
"Nothing at all…"  
  
  
  
"Nothing at all? Look at her, she's shaking!"  
  
  
  
"Every new power has its time before control is gained." Paige processed this.  
  
  
  
"Are you saying she has a new power?" Grams nodded.  
  
  
  
"She can hear people's thoughts, but until she can learn to control it… it will continue to overwhelm her. If it takes too long… we need to act fast. Lauren!" Seconds later, the whitelighter appeared and Penny turned to Paige. "She knows where to take you. Good luck." With that she disappeared. The women hurried down the stairs with Prue, past the others.  
  
  
  
"Paige, what's going on?" Glen asked.  
  
  
  
"Watch the kids, I'll be back!" Once out the door they orbed together, Lauren leading the way. When they materialized again they appeared to be in the back room of a shop… a familiar shop.  
  
  
  
"Stay here…" Lauren told Paige and Prue. She walked out into the main area and suddenly Paige realized… it was the Norwood magic shop. And in fact Lauren returned with Sherry a moment later.  
  
  
  
"Paige! It's so good to…" she spotted Prue. She approached her, observed her condition. "New power out of control sweetie?" she asked the child.  
  
  
  
"How'd you know?" Paige asked, only half-surprised she figured it out.  
  
  
  
"I wouldn't get half the customers I do if I didn't," she smirked. "Let's get her more comfortable," she started for the front of the store.  
  
  
  
"Is it safe to just…" Paige started, but remembering her time working there… "Never mind." They went out front and Prue was settled in a comfy couch. Sherry sat next to her.  
  
  
  
"What is happening…" she asked Prue, not so much wondering but trying to get her point-of-view on it.  
  
  
  
"Voices… so many…" she cried.  
  
  
  
"That's what I thought." She turned to Paige. "This could take a while. Leave her with me, I'll call you when there's progress. Aren't you doing something today?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah… my boyfriend is moving in," she confirmed, almost afraid to bring up the subject in front of her. Sherry flinched just a bit.  
  
  
  
"Go back, do what you have to do. I'll have her good to go in a couple of days." Paige hesitated about leaving her like this, but at least she knew Prue was in good hands. Lauren left and Paige sat next to Prue.  
  
  
  
"I'll see you soon Angel." With that she orbed back to outside the Manor. When she walked in Glen was the first she saw. "Where is everyone?"  
  
  
  
"The kids are upstairs helping Simon unpack, they said something about a Pumpkin?" Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"Call if a… tradition. All the kids have a stuffed bear. When they found out Simon would move in they asked to get him his own." Glen smiled back.  
  
  
  
"Where's Prue? Is she okay?"  
  
  
  
"She's with Helena's grandmother, she'll be fine." She went to sit in the living room. Glen followed.  
  
  
  
"You look tired."  
  
  
  
"I am," she sighed, then smiled at him. "But I'll be okay. I have this feeling that… Things are going to change, but they'll be very good."  
  
  
  
"I know… Simon asked me this morning if you were his new mommy." Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
"Helena asked the same thing about you last night. She's excited, as far as she remembers she's never had a father…" Paige wiped at an errant tear. Glen sat at her side. Eventually she looked at him. "Everything will be good."  
  
  
  
Three days later, Halliwell Manor had a new "male" feel to it however subtle it was. Glen and Simon were all moved in. As they were setting up for lunch the door opened and in walked…  
  
  
  
"Prue, you're back!" Helena squealed as she stood. Paige looked up. She looked much better than when she saw her last.  
  
  
  
"Welcome back!" she went to hug her niece. "How's your head?" she whispered.  
  
  
  
"Clear," Prue smiled. The conversation ended there for the moment as Helena, Simon, and Glen came to greet the returning witch. Paige had to wait until bedtime to approach the subject again.  
  
  
  
"At first I could barely focus. I spent about an hour at the ceiling. But she helped me turn off the voices little by little until they were all gone. Then she taught me how to turn them on just one at a time. I couldn't read her thoughts at first, but she explained that it would be harder with other witches. She showed me how to do it though… don't worry, I won't do it just for fun or anything."  
  
  
  
She was excited about it all and Paige saw it. "That's very good news and I'm proud of you. And… so would your mom and dad." Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
"Alright, time to sleep." She tucked her in and left the room. That night Prue had a dream of her parents. It didn't make her cry, didn't wake her in the middle of the night. In fact, the next morning she awoke well rested.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
December 24th 2011  
  
  
  
"Are you crazy?"  
  
  
  
"I don't think so… Does that mean you're saying no?"  
  
  
  
"Not necessarily, I just… It's a big decision to make."  
  
  
  
"I know."  
  
  
  
"I just imagined it differently, you know?"  
  
  
  
"Will you be terribly heartbroken if it's this way and not the other one?"  
  
  
  
"No… I guess not."  
  
  
  
"So…"  
  
  
  
"So… I think you gotta ask again."  
  
  
  
"Of course. Here goes. Paige, will you marry me tonight?"  
  
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
  
A few hours later, Paige looked out the church window. They had started to arrive and they looked confused. All they knew was that they had to come. "They" were Jason and the kids, Darryl and family, Jeannie and family, and some of Paige's adoptive family. Glen was in the back getting ready with Simon. Prue and Helena were sitting near the front, quietly playing "Go Fish". She heard someone clearing his throat and she knew it was time. She took her position as Simon and the girls came running down the aisle. They opened the doors.  
  
  
  
"Come in!" they called to them together. They seemed confused but did as told. Paige's Uncle Dave was told to go into the room where his niece was waiting. As the others took their seats, Paige explained to her Uncle what would happen and requested he gave her away. He proudly accepted.  
  
  
  
As the guests got more and more curious about what was going on, the organist began to play. Once he did they understood. The bride stood at the end of the aisle, her uncle at her side. Her dress was sleek and simple yet elegant. It was all she needed, no big dress for her.  
  
  
  
The ceremony arrived to the point where they had to recite their vows. There wasn't much time to sit and write them, so they agreed that they would "write" the vows as they said them… more meaningful this way. Glen was first.  
  
  
  
"We've known each other for a long time. We've been through so many things together I forget. But one thing I know I won't forget is how much I love you. I never really understood the concept of 'fate' until I found you again. If we were kept apart for so long but still reunited in the end, then there must have been something or someone trying to tell me, and you, that it was all meant to happen. And that's why I'm here today. Not just because I love you, although it's a big part of it, but because I couldn't stand to lose you again. I need you, and I'm telling you today that nothing in this world will separate us again."  
  
  
  
Paige was crying as she was told it was her turn.  
  
  
  
"I've had some rough times in my life, more than I could handle sometimes. And if there was one person I could always count on for support it was you. You always know the right thing to say or do to make me smile again. Today I get a reason for smiling whenever I'm sad. I know I'll always have you to stand by my side and hold my hand and it makes me brave for whatever lies ahead. You know all my deep dark secrets and they don't scare you. You were the other half of a lot of my most memorable moments, good or bad, and today is the first of many more to come. I love you, past, present, future."  
  
  
  
They smiled widely as it was announced that they were now husband and wife. Not long after, the group was back at the manor. They had thought they were coming over strictly for a Christmas party, but now the mood was even more festive.  
  
  
  
"You little sneak," Jeannie laughed as she hugged her friend.  
  
  
  
"In my defense you only found out hours after I did," Paige smiled. Jeannie's one-year-old daughter Evie slept in her mother's arms. Paige looked at her with a smile. Like her mother and sister, little Evie had bright red hair.  
  
  
  
"Well you sure had us going."  
  
  
  
"Thank you so much!" They laughed together.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
April 27 2012  
  
  
  
Paige drove to school to pick up the kids and her emotions were a jumble. She was happy but she was worried about managing the new "development". She scanned the playground.  
  
  
  
"Hey Aunt Paige!" she heard from behind. It was Prue. She turned to look at her but in the process bumped into her. Prue quickly looked at her aunt with a mixture of surprise and excitement. Paige closed her eyes. This happened all the time when Prue bumped into someone. It was like flipping the switch on her mind-reading powers. And from the look she gave her, Paige knew she'd heard her secret.  
  
  
  
"Not a word to anyone until tonight, please?"  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, I won't tell," she assured her before hugging her aunt. Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"Thanks Angel. Come on, let's find your cousins." On occasion, when Jason had a business trip that didn't involve a more permanent location, he would leave the kids with Paige. This was one such occasion.  
  
  
  
After picking up all the kids from their various locations they packed into the minivan they had bought together, herself, Glen, and Jason. Once home most of the kids went off to play while Paige helped Prue and Henry with their homework. Every few minutes, Prue would throw a smirk Paige's way. At first it made her nervous that they'd figure it out, but eventually it just made her laugh.  
  
  
  
At dinnertime, Prue's looks were growing evermore constant, and Glen and the kids looked at her, completely confused and sure that she'd lost her mind.  
  
  
  
Finally, when the kids had been put to bed (Henry, now seven, and his four-year-old sisters had beds set up in the playroom/attic), Paige joined Glen. He was sitting on the bed, tapping at his laptop for work. She came to stand on her knees behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled, still working. So she leaned down to his ear and whispered…  
  
  
  
"I'm pregnant." That made him stop working. He looked back at her. She nodded. He put the laptop down and grabbed her. She laughed as she landed in his arms, looking up at him. "Does that mean yay?"  
  
  
  
"Double yay," he kissed her. "That sure explains your behavior before."  
  
  
  
"Yeah. It's bringing back… many memories. Everything was so different when I had Helena…" She looked at him with a sad smile. "Making me miss my sisters a lot. And…" she didn't want to go any further with him, but he seemed fine.  
  
  
  
"Eric…"  
  
  
  
"Yeah. Is that weird for you?"  
  
  
  
"We both have past histories. What happened to Eric was tragic and I never expected you to stop loving him. I still know you love me too."  
  
  
  
"I do," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"So everything's fine." She smiled.  
  
  
  
"At the risk of sounding like a cliché… how did I get so lucky to snag a wonderful man like you… again, and again, and…" He kissed her once more.  
  
  
  
"You were you… that's how."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
December 24 2012  
  
  
  
"Happy Anniversary," Paige struck her glass of mineral water with Glen's glass of champagne.  
  
  
  
"Happy Anniversary," he returned with a smile. He placed a hand on her round belly. "It's getting close. She's very quiet… hardly ever feel her."  
  
  
  
"A calm one… We don't have one of those here yet…" she remarked. As though on cue, Prue (less than two months away from her tenth birthday), Helena (6), and Simon (6) came running in, Misty trotting behind.  
  
  
  
"One present each please?" Helena asked. "Just one!"  
  
  
  
"Alright…" Paige started, to an eruption of cheers, "but if you do you have to go to bed right after."  
  
  
  
"Okay!" they all nodded at once. They opened their presents and went up to change into their PJs. Paige went up to Prue's room first.  
  
  
  
"Did you have fun at Keely's today?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah it was great! We spent most of the time playing with Sierra." That was Keely's one-year-old sister. She had also been adopted, this time from Dominican Republic.   
  
  
  
"That's good" Paige went to turn on the night-light.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah Angel?"  
  
  
  
"How do you know if someone's a witch if they're really little and her parents aren't?  
  
  
  
"Depends, I guess…" she came back to sit at her side. "Why do you ask?"  
  
  
  
"I think Sierra's a witch."  
  
  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
  
  
"I had to concentrate to read her thoughts, like with you guys."  
  
  
  
"Well, she's really young…"  
  
  
  
"She still has thoughts…" Paige thought for a few seconds.  
  
  
  
"In a little while we'll see if we can find out, okay? For now though, this little witch needs to sleep" she tickled her.  
  
  
  
"Okay! Okay!" she laughed.  
  
  
  
"Night Angel."  
  
  
  
"Night Aunt Paige." She left the room and went to the one Helena and Simon shared.  
  
  
  
"You guys want a story, don't you?" she asked the kids when she saw their faces. Helena pulled out a worn book of Disney Christmas stories. [A/N: Disney et al, not mine.] Paige smiled. "Alright." Simon got out of his bed and went to sit with Helena and Paige on the girl's bed. Side by side they decided which story they wanted. At first Paige had been afraid their friendship would deteriorate with them being together so much, but in fact it only grew stronger.  
  
  
  
"This one!" Helena held out the book to her mother.  
  
  
  
"Yeah!" Simon agreed with a nod.  
  
  
  
"Alright, let's see," Paige laughed. "Flik's Christmas Invention…" A few minutes later, the friends/siblings were soundly sleeping. Paige carried Simon to his bed and gave each a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. Before returning downstairs she grabbed some mistletoe. She went back to the living room. "Pick a hand," she grinned.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
December 30th 2012  
  
  
  
The whole family (Paige, Glen, Prue, Helena and Simon) had flown to Chicago for a few days, by Sherry's request. Paige had been almost afraid to show up there in her condition, also considering the fact that she was due any day now. But it had all been great, something she should have known from the start. After all, Sherry was an awesome person, never got angry unless the reason was founded. Instead she showered her with gifts and tips. And Jack Norwood insisted that this new baby was just as much his granddaughter as Helena.  
  
  
  
Now they were on the plane back to San Francisco and Paige was busily planning their New Year's Eve party despite Glen's insistence that she should relax.  
  
  
  
"Streamers! We need streamers!" she exclaimed, leaning forward to add it to her list.  
  
  
  
"Paige? Put the pen down." She gave him a look. "You can do it…" The pen dropped to the fold-down "table". "Thank you," he smiled, then realized dropping the pen may not have been intentional. "Paige?"  
  
  
  
"I… contraction…"  
  
  
  
"What?" The sound of water hitting the ground set him in motion. He stood and called a stewardess over. "My wife has just gone into labor!"  
  
  
  
"Alright, hang tight, there's a doctor in first class, I'll go get him!" the woman told him nervously before running off.  
  
  
  
"Baby sister's coming?" Helena asked, sitting on the edge of the row next to them.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, she is," Glen told her as Paige let out a muffled scream. Other passengers around them started looking at them. A few seconds later, the stewardess returned with a man in tow.  
  
  
  
"Let's move you somewhere a bit more comfortable…" Paige was helped along. The kids stayed behind, Prue keeping an eye on them.  
  
  
  
"Why can't I deliver in normal places? First a car, now a plane… If we have another one, no cruises, alright?" she told her husband as she sat/lied back.  
  
  
  
"Yes dear," he smirked.  
  
  
  
Half an hour later, things were moving along and the newest member of their family finally made her grand entrance.  
  
  
  
"It's a girl," the doctor smiled before handing her to her mother.  
  
  
  
"She's gorgeous," Paige cried. "Thank you," she smiled brightly.  
  
  
  
"You're very welcome. Does this little one have a name?" Paige looked at Glen.  
  
  
  
"Yes she does… Diana Piper Belland."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
January 10 2013  
  
  
  
"Thank you for watching Sierra…" Mrs. Karen Hendrix told Paige as she handed her daughter over.  
  
  
  
"Not a problem. We love having her here already."  
  
  
  
"We'll be back to pick her up at five."  
  
  
  
"Alright," Paige nodded. The woman left and Paige looked at the girl. "Let's find out if you're a witch, alright?"  
  
  
  
She'd wondered how she would get to figure it out, but as it turned out she'd delivered the solution twelve days ago. She went into the living room, where Diana sat in her cousin's lap. Paige sat next to her with Sierra and nodded. Prue gave the little one a tickle at the shoulders. Right away she raised her arms. Paige waited a second, then looked at the clock. The second hand had stopped, and in mid-swing so had the pendulum. Diana, apparently appropriately middle-named, had inherited the power to freeze time. And as Paige realized as she noted that all four of them were unfrozen, Sierra was one of them.  
  
  
  
"Looks like you were right Prue…" The girl smiled as time resumed and Diana cooed.  
  
  
  
When five o'clock rolled around Paige waited for Mrs. Hendrix to return and she was nervous. She truly hoped she would handle the news well, but Paige knew that wasn't guaranteed. She paced around with Diana sleeping in her arms. She'd have to bind her powers soon, and although doing that had made Helena's life easier, Paige still didn't want to take that away from her child. But she knew there was no choice, so…  
  
  
  
"Hello Karen, come on in," Paige greeted the woman when she arrived.  
  
  
  
"Hey there cutie," she smiled at Diana as Paige spoke.  
  
  
  
"I need to talk to you about something…"  
  
  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the women sat together with their daughters in their respective arms. Paige had finished telling Karen Hendrix that her daughter was a witch. She hadn't really reacted yet, until Sierra looked up at her with a great big smile. Karen smiled back.  
  
  
  
"Well… we always said she was special." Paige smiled. "We didn't think…"  
  
  
  
"You've seen Prue, she's okay… But, if you would prefer it this way, I can bind her powers." Karen looked at her daughter.  
  
  
  
"I think that might be best…" she cried. Paige nodded. They took the girls up to Paige's room and closed the door. Putting them down on the bed, Paige recited the spell for the third time. Once Karen and Sierra had gone, Paige looked to Diana.  
  
  
  
"You're not going to resent me for this, are you?" The girl looked at her with a sort of 'uh?' look on her face. Paige kissed her little cheeks. "I knew you wouldn't."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
September 14 2013  
  
  
  
Helena, Allie, and Simon walked into their classroom. Their stations were close to each other enough that they could talk when allowed. Helena and Allie sat back to back with each other. Like Prue a few years back they had Miss Horn as their teacher. She'd been extremely kind and helpful to Prue in her year with her, and she often returned when she needed to, greeted with open arms as always.  
  
  
  
Helena didn't like her station mates. Kevin Marcowitz was a pint-sized bully in the making and he constantly picked on her, easy access with her sitting right there. And the other two, Heather Lyndsey and Paul Michaels looked at Kevin like he was some kind of saint, so they copied him.  
  
  
  
Simon was coming along nicely in the 'protective brother' department, and that day was the last straw when Kevin took Helena's favorite pencil and broke it in half. Helena cried as Kevin laughed, not noticing Simon walking up to him.  
  
  
  
"Leave my sister alone!" he punched the bully in the nose. He ran off crying as Simon picked up the pieces and took them to his desk. He taped them back together and took the pencil back to Helena. "Here…" She stopped crying and wiped at her nose as…  
  
  
  
"Simon Belland! Come here!" Miss Horn stood in the doorway, Kevin next to her. She did not look pleased.  
  
  
  
"But Miss Horn…"  
  
  
  
"No buts…"  
  
  
  
"He made Helena cry!" Simon pleaded. The teacher looked at her and saw this was true.  
  
  
  
"Helena, come with us, we'll straighten this out," she spoke a bit more calmly. Helena and Simon followed.  
  
  
  
Once into the hall, Miss Horn asked Helena to explain. She did so, much to Kevin's annoyance. When she'd heard the story, the teacher told the boys they'd spend recess inside for a week and get a note sent to their parents.  
  
  
  
"Miss Horn, can Helena sit at my station from now on?" Simon asked.  
  
  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
  
  
After classes, Helena, Allie, Simon, Henry, Prue, Keely, Caroline, and Norah waited for their parents to pick them up together. Caroline was picked up first, followed by Henry, Norah, and Keely, leaving the last pack, all to be picked up by Paige. She arrived five minutes later. The kids packed into the minivan, Helena next to her almost-one-year-old sister.  
  
  
  
When they arrived home all but Simon and Helena went off to do their homework. Simon handed the note from Miss Horn to "Mommy Paige". She read it and looked at the kids.  
  
  
  
"You know you shouldn't have done that, right?"  
  
  
  
"Yes…" the boy looked down. Paige crouched in front of him.  
  
  
  
"But… it was very brave of you. Now go join the others for homework, alright?" He gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and ran off. Paige smiled and turned to Helena. "You okay Froggy?" She nodded. "Good, go on."  
  
  
  
That night after 'lights out', Helena got out of her bed and went to Simon. She tapped his shoulder and he sat up. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered a quick 'Thank you' before running back to her bed. He smiled and lied back down, soon sleeping along with his sister.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
February 14 2014  
  
  
  
Paige returned from the drugstore with Diana safely tucked in her left arm and her bags in the right. She'd barely come through the door when Prue came running.  
  
  
  
"Did you get the balloons?" she asked. In two days she was turning eleven, and they would have a party with all her friends that night. It had to be perfect, as she said.  
  
  
  
"Yes, I got the balloons. Can you take Diana to her chair, I'll be there in two minutes."  
  
  
  
"Okay!" she took the little one with light red hair. "Hey D!" she baby talked to her cousin, heading toward the kitchen. Paige ducked into the bathroom.  
  
  
  
Looking at the pregnancy test box she was both happy and fearful. On the one hand she was overjoyed to be possibly having another baby, but with this one it would equal five children depending on them 24/7. She was scared that they couldn't handle it physically, mentally, and most of all financially.  
  
  
  
She sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for the test to be done. Counting in her head was more nerve-wracking than she thought it would be. But finally, it was done. She stood and looked down to the stick. Two lines… positive. She smiled despite her worries.  
  
  
  
When she came out of the bathroom, stick still in hand, she came face to face with Glen. "Hi honey!" she said, a bit more excitedly than she'd planned.  
  
  
  
"Hi…" he responded, picking up on her odd behavior. "What's going on?"  
  
  
  
"Well… I have a special Valentine's present for you…" she held up the stick with a smile. He looked shocked at first, but then realized what it meant and took the steps needed to reach her and he hugged her.  
  
  
  
"That's a great gift…"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, the third one was free, so…" He laughed, along with her. "I just hope we can handle it…" she told him, a bit more serious.  
  
  
  
"Why couldn't we?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Just that… well, what if we can't handle five…"  
  
  
  
"We have seven when Henry, Emily, and Charlotte stay here, what's one more?" She smiled.  
  
  
  
"You're the best…" she hugged him.  
  
  
  
"Thank you." She batted at his arm with a smirk.  
  
  
  
"We should go tell the others…" They walked to the kitchen hand-in-hand, soon to be buried in loud cheers.  
  
  
  
Five months later, seven months pregnant, Paige headed to the cemetery. It was hard to believe it had been four years since she'd lost her sisters, eight since Eric… Helena was just as energetic as she'd always been, if not more. She was in the same team as Simon in Little League. Their bond was still very strong and together they were a force to reckon with.  
  
  
  
Prue still played soccer, and she was becoming a young woman right before their eyes. She was a great role model for the younger children and knowing that made her be careful around them. Henry, nearing his ninth birthday, was both active and quiet. Part of him was still mourning, a fact they knew might remain this way for quite sometime.  
  
  
  
Emily and Charlotte at six years old were very similar on certain points, but opposites on others. Emily was the more 'courageous' of the two, while Charlotte was just fine taking a backseat to her. They didn't remember their mother, but they often asked to hear about her.  
  
  
  
Paige looked at the plaques bearing her sisters' names. "Hey… I know I haven't come in a while, but… It's hard to get some time away lately. I hope you're okay up there… they still won't tell me so… I don't know. If you've been checking on us you know… the kids are okay. They all miss you. So do I, and Jason, and many others… I talk to Diana about you all the time, she never got to know you… and this one here too…" she put a hand on her belly. "Come down as soon as you can… Please?"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
September 20th 2014  
  
  
  
"Drive faster!" Paige told Glen, holding the armrest of the van very tightly.  
  
  
  
"I'm trying!" he insisted, checking for an opening. "What's taking so long?" Paige gave Prue a look. She understood and closed her eyes, focusing on the front of the line.  
  
  
  
"Maybe there was an accident up there…" she told her aunt, opting for a 'subtle' answer in the presence of the other kids. Paige groaned.  
  
  
  
"I just can't do it, can I? I just can't have a baby in a normal place…"  
  
  
  
"Look, there's a policeman coming!" Prue told her aunt. Glen jumped out of the van and ran to him, explaining the situation. He shook his head. Paige rolled her eyes. Glen returned with the man.  
  
  
  
"I can't hold on much longer…" Paige told Glen.  
  
  
  
"Kids, move out of the row please?" the officer told Prue and Helena. They did so, taking Diana along with them. Paige was moved to the now-emptied seat. Glen was sent out to search the cars around for what they'd need. It took some time but he got it all.  
  
  
  
Not unlike her first two deliveries, this one was relatively quick as well. Soon Paige held her new baby girl. Prue had watched it all from her position at the front passenger seat and she appeared downright fascinated. In fact all the other children had been gathered around to welcome the little one, Cecilia Phoebe Belland.  
  
  
  
A few months later they would be a group of regular, powerless children, with Prue now the only in their home other than Paige with powers. Cecilia had shown that she possessed both the power of telekinesis and orb-telekinesis, along with the expected orbing although she hadn't shown it yet. This would be the norm, the regular family…  
  
TBC... 


	11. Avenging

FIVE YEARS LATER  
  
September 20th 2019  
  
  
  
"Mommy!" five-year-old Cecilia ran into her parents' room, blonde hair all over the place. She climbed on the bed and crawled to her mother, already waking from the call. Once she saw that, she turned to Glen, reaching over to lightly tap him. "Daddy!" He started to wake as well.  
  
  
  
"Morning Birdy," Paige smiled.  
  
  
  
"It's today! It's today!" she squealed.  
  
  
  
"Tonight," glen reminded her.  
  
  
  
"Tonight!" she repeated, just as excited. She climbed back to the ground and hopped out of the room chanting "Tonight tonight tonight tonight…" She returned to her room and grabbed Violet, her teddy.  
  
  
  
Diana, now almost seven, awoke clutching her own bear, Clover, and looked at her sister. "Stop yelling, I want to sleep!"  
  
  
  
"Sorry," Cecilia looked down. Diana smiled.  
  
  
  
"It's okay."  
  
  
  
Cecilia was often said to be an almost identical copy of her sister Helena as far as personality was concerned. Her gracefulness had landed her with the nickname Birdy by her mother.  
  
  
  
Diana got up and walked out into the hall after stopping to give her little sister a birthday hug which returned her happy smile and the chant started again.  
  
  
  
Diana couldn't have been more suited to carry her Aunt Piper's power (however bound) and name, even as middle. She had that same kindness to her, certain shyness showing on occasions.  
  
  
  
She made her way to the bathroom where eleven-year-olds Emily and Charlotte, who were staying the week along with their brother, waited seated on the ground. "Morning," Diana greeted them. They smiled and said their hellos, still obviously half-asleep.  
  
  
  
Although they did not have their psychic connection anymore, they were still very close and in-tune with each other. They were a team. They may have worked well on their own, but together they were just something else. They understood each other almost perfectly, so they knew what to expect of the other.  
  
  
  
Emily was the more energetic of the two. She had a definite competitive edge, which sometimes got her in situations she later regretted. She loved to play around and had inherited her father's 'prankster gene'.  
  
  
  
Charlotte was more of a girly girl, loved to shop and spend time with her friends, although her family would always come first. She's not as daring as her sister, not even close. She's very squirmish, doesn't like to touch 'icky, slimy stuff'.  
  
  
  
The bathroom door opened and Simon, less than a month away from his thirteenth birthday, walked out. Emily and Charlotte exchanged a quick look and Emily went into the bathroom. After some greetings to his sister and his cousin, he returned to his room. Just inside stood a wall and two curtains, one leading to his side of the room, the other to Helena's. It had been installed when, no matter how close they were, the teenage years made their room-sharing problematic.  
  
  
  
Simon wasn't a bad boy or a bully, but he wasn't someone you wanted to mess with. He'd gotten the nickname 'Super Simon' at school due to his tendencies to step in when people would get teased or pushed around. It didn't bother him; it was who he was.  
  
  
  
"Can I come in?" came Helena's voice from behind the curtain.  
  
  
  
"Yeah sure," he told her, sitting at his desk with his history book opened on it.  
  
  
  
Helena at thirteen was still worthy of the nickname Froggy, but she was learning to pace herself as she grew. Over the years she'd developed a tendency for the occasional 'klutz' moment. She was okay to laugh it off though, didn't run away or turn red. She still played baseball with Simon, although she also had an interest for basketball.  
  
  
  
"Scott called. He says practice is cancelled this afternoon."  
  
  
  
"Good, we won't have to explain to Cecilia why we missed her party." Helena nodded. There was a knock at the door and fourteen-year-old Henry walked in.  
  
  
  
"Your ride's here." Simon and Helena scrambled past him with thanks.  
  
  
  
Henry was growing into a handsome young man, and the girls were starting to notice. His sisters and cousins sometimes teased him about it, but he didn't listen. The attention they were giving him was somewhat lost on him. He sometimes had a temper, which seemed to have replaced his sadness. But he will always be that sweet little kid in his heart, the one his mother had always loved.  
  
  
  
Henry walked back out of the room and bumped into Prue. She got a look of amusement and surprise. "Henry!"  
  
  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Nothing," she walked off towards the stairs.  
  
  
  
At sixteen Prue had grown into a new personality. She was happy, yes, but as she grew the times where she wished her mother were still alive were frustrating. Because every time she thought about it, she remembered why she wasn't there… it was because a demon had come and killed her. She wished she were able to do something about it, but her mother was long gone and so was the demon who took her away. That didn't leave her with many options.  
  
  
  
Then there was the fact that none of the other kids had powers like her, so she couldn't talk about them, couldn't say why she would act oddly after bumping into someone. When she wanted to talk about it with her Aunt one of the kids was usually there or nearby, which made talking impossible.  
  
  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Keely asked as they walked out of school that afternoon.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured her.  
  
  
  
"Okay, well I have to go pick up Sierra and get her home so I'll talk to you later, alright?"  
  
  
  
"Alright. Bye Keely."  
  
  
  
Prue started down the street, lost in thought. She was pulled out of them though when she heard odd sounds coming from nearby. She followed it and happened a weirdly dressed man, preying on a young woman, cowering back. Before she knew she was doing it, Prue stepped forward.  
  
  
  
"Hey! Leave her alone!" she ran up to them. The man looked at her and a fireball appeared in his hand and he threw it at her. She took flight and moved out of the way. He looked at her and she tuned into his thoughts. Now she had the advantage. She knew his moves before he made them, enabling her to escape or counter-attack properly. When opportunity presented itself she dove down and grabbed the woman's hand, orbing them away. "Are you okay?" she asked the woman.  
  
  
  
"Y-Yeah, I think so… Thank you," she cried.  
  
  
  
"Why… why did he attack you?"  
  
  
  
"Because of this," she held up a pendant hanging from her neck. It was a small sphere, a swirl of white smoke moving inside it. "I am the Keeper of the Air element, as have the women in my line been since the beginning. The other keepers are missing and I have a feeling he's involved."  
  
  
  
"That's bad…"  
  
  
  
"It is, very bad. That's why I came looking for you." Prue stood back.  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"You are Prue Halliwell, aren't you?" She was getting scared. "You're the child of a Charmed One, the only one that seemed to still have magic."  
  
  
  
"But…"  
  
  
  
"I know the power of three doesn't exist anymore, but we always believed their children would possess great power. Today you proved that. I need your help."  
  
  
  
"I'm not sure I understand… But if you need help I'm willing to try."  
  
  
  
Prue ran back home and rushed up to her room, closing the door. She was breathing hard, still trying to make sense of everything. But at the same time she felt... good, energy… It was scary, her heart was beating really fast… but she wasn't so much scared as she was intrigued she realized. She was connecting with a part of herself she'd kept inside for so long. That night she couldn't sleep, too anxious for the next day, where she'd meet with Isaura, the Keeper of Air.  
  
  
  
When she did meet with her, she was given a few items. The dagger was the piece that got her attention. "I've never…"  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, you'll do great," Isaura assured her. "Use these to scry for…"  
  
  
  
"Scry?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Locate. Use these to find the others."  
  
  
  
"O-okay." She held the crystal over the map. She gasped when it started to move. She looked at Isaura and she nodded. The crystal slammed down on a location. "I did it!" she exclaimed before taking Isaura's hand. 'Let's go." She orbed them to the address. It didn't take long before they saw the man from before. On the walls, three girls were chained and beaten. Thanks to their pendants, swirling green, red, and blue smoke, Prue was able to identify them. With the green was Kaia, Keeper of Earth. With the red was Calida, Keeper of Fire. With the blue was Mariska, Keeper of Water.  
  
  
  
"You…" the man sighed.  
  
  
  
"Me…" Prue smirked, throwing the dagger. He screamed and disappeared in a veil of fire. Prue watched with awe. Isaura snapped her out of it and together they freed the girls.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," said Calida.  
  
  
  
"You're welcome," Prue nodded.  
  
  
  
"If you ever need anything…" Isaura started as she closed her hand in a fist, opening it to reveal a bead of white light. The others did the same. The four beads melded to make a sphere with smoke of all four colors swirling around. "Use this."  
  
  
  
"How?" Prue asked as she took it.  
  
  
  
"You'll know," Isaura assured her as the four disappeared. Prue looked at the sphere with a smile.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
March 10 2020  
  
  
  
"Prue, wait!" Henry called after his cousin, but she didn't appear to hear him. That or she was pretending she didn't hear him.  
  
  
  
"Something wrong?" someone spoke from behind. Henry froze, knowing who that was. He turned and there she was… Merilyn Cantwell… the one girl he cared about, that wasn't like the others. Her long dark hair framed her face and Henry thought she looked like an angel.  
  
  
  
"No," he shrugged. "She's just in a hurry I guess."  
  
  
  
"Oh. Well listen, I was wondering if you had a partner yet for the science project."  
  
  
  
"Uh, no, I don't…" She looked at him and it took a few seconds before he understood. "You… want to…"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh," she nodded. He audibly gulped and she laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh either. "So is that a yes?" He nodded. "Good. You want to get together sometime to work?" He regained his composure.  
  
  
  
"Sounds great. What about now?" he asked. Their last class had ended five minutes ago.  
  
  
  
"I'm not doing anything," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"Library?" She nodded again. "After you."  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she smiled as they walked off toward the library together.  
  
  
  
Outside, Prue hurried along to find a spot to stop and scry. It had become a habit for her, one that she didn't inform her aunt of. She only did it maybe once a week, though recently it had been more like twice a week.  
  
  
  
She found a target and orbed to it. She had learned a lot since her encounter with the four. She visited Sherry Norwood for potion tips and other things of the sort.  
  
  
  
The demon looked at her. She didn't look all that menacing, but as she'd realized that usually played in her favor. They started to fight and he managed to hit her with an energy ball but just enough that it grazed her left arm before she threw a potion with the other and he was gone. She breathed hard, looking down to her arm.  
  
  
  
"Looks like it hurts." She turned.  
  
  
  
"Lauren…" The whitelighter crouched before her and held her hand over the injury. Seconds later it was intact. Prue stood. "Are you going to tell on me?" she stared her down.  
  
  
  
"No. It's not my place to do that. But you have to understand you have to be careful.  
  
  
  
"I am careful!" Prue insisted.  
  
  
  
"Are you?"  
  
  
  
"I am, okay? I'm not stupid."  
  
  
  
"I never said that. But part of you must know this is wrong if you're not telling your Aunt…"  
  
  
  
"If I told her she'd freak out and bind my powers. I'd never hear the end of this…"  
  
  
  
"Why are you doing it then," Lauren asked and Prue looked away. "It's your mother, isn't it?" Prue had her back turned to her now.  
  
  
  
"It's not… it's not just my mom. My Aunt Prue, Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Eric… I just…"  
  
  
  
"Look. If you want to keep doing this it's up to you. But be more careful, alright? And if you need me… you've got my 'number'." She orbed away. Prue sighed and orbed home, pulling on her vest to hide the torn part of her shirt and walked in.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
March 27 2020  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry guys, I can't go…" Prue told Keely, Norah, and Caroline as they walked out of school together.  
  
  
  
"Again?" Norah asked.  
  
  
  
"That's the third time you've cancelled this month," Keely added.  
  
  
  
"Do you have a secret boyfriend or something?" Caroline smirked.  
  
  
  
"Well you got me… gotta go!" Prue ran down the sidewalk. She hated lying to them but she couldn't exactly tell them the truth.  
  
  
  
She went to her now-traditional spot and pulled out her map and crystal. She found a spot within seconds and orbed over. When she arrived there were three demons about to launch on two shaking teenagers.  
  
  
  
"Hey Stooges!" she called to the demons. "Ready to party?" she smirked. They looked at each other, possibly wondering what she was thinking she'd achieve against them. They decided to give it a shot anyway and started toward her. The two cowering on the ground didn't have to be told twice and they ran off in a heartbeat.  
  
  
  
"Are you lost little girl?" the first asked.  
  
  
  
"Do they know you go hunting without them?" He looked trapped.  
  
  
  
"So I was right…" the second turned on the first, the last doing the same.  
  
  
  
"You're going to believe this little… witch?"  
  
  
  
"I'm with the good guys, remember? Are we in the habit of lying?" she smiled sweetly. Within seconds, the first was toast. "Well then…"  
  
  
  
"You've got two seconds to get out of here, witch."  
  
  
  
"You think that's why I'm here?" she tilted her head, taking off and flying in circles over their heads. "Sorry, try again." She dropped a potion bottle and the second burned away. "Two down…" The third held up his hand and she was pulled out of flight landing on the ground hard.  
  
  
  
"Change of plan," he walked toward her. She turned her head to him in time to see a bolt of lightning hit him. He fell back and she took that opportunity to potion-toast him.  
  
  
  
"Looks like we have a new player…" She looked up and saw a guy her age standing on top of a crate. He jumped down to the ground and started to walk toward her. She tried to get away, unsure if he was good or bad. He appeared to see that. "Relax, I'm on your side."  
  
  
  
"Who…"  
  
  
  
"My name's Nathaniel, but call me Nate." He helped her sit up against a nearby wall.  
  
  
  
"How'd you know I was…"  
  
  
  
"I didn't. I came after these guys to kill them myself but… you beat me to it."  
  
  
  
"Sorry," she winced, aching all over.  
  
  
  
"The way you got them… you have nothing to be sorry about. She smiled weakly.  
  
  
  
"I'm Prue. And… thanks. If you hadn't been there…"  
  
  
  
"You would have gotten him anyway." She thought she was blushing at that moment.  
  
  
  
"What did you mean by 'new player'?"  
  
  
  
"You think you're the only one that does this?"  
  
  
  
"No, guess not…"  
  
  
  
"There are more of us than you think. With no more Charmed Ones, we stepped in to pick up on the mission…" She looked down for a second, deciding not to tell him 'who she was'.  
  
  
  
"Why do you do it?" she asked instead.  
  
  
  
"Same as the others… vengeance. Demons killed my brother, I started fighting in his memory. Who did you lose?" She closed her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Father, mother, grandmother, two aunts, an uncle…"  
  
  
  
"Wow… I'm understanding the rage back there now…" She opened her eyes.  
  
  
  
"I'm going to look like a big bruise in the morning… Won't be much 'playing' after that…"  
  
  
  
"Don't you have a whitelighter?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know if I should call her. I promised I'd be more careful."  
  
  
  
"Hey, you saved two people, killed three demons… I'm sure she'll understand."  
  
  
  
"Yeah… guess you're right."  
  
  
  
"Listen. Next time you feel like going out there, call me. Double-teaming can be very interesting," he smiled, handing her a slip of paper. "See you later I hope." And he left. She put the paper in her pocket and with a sigh…  
  
  
  
"Lauren!"  
  
  
  
The whitelighter appeared and looked down at her. "Prue…"  
  
  
  
"Now… I know what you're going to say…"  
  
  
  
"You do…"  
  
  
  
"For the record, I was very careful. The last one just caught me off-guard."  
  
  
  
"Prue…"  
  
  
  
"He did! But if you want I could take someone with me from now on…" she thought of that handsome male witch and smiled.  
  
  
  
"Nathaniel Pereira?" Prue looked at her.  
  
  
  
"I… I guess. How'd you know that?"  
  
  
  
"It's my job to know."  
  
  
  
"It is? I didn't know that…"  
  
  
  
"He's trouble…"  
  
  
  
"Lauren, come on…" Prue sighed.  
  
  
  
"I'm not preventing you, just warning."  
  
  
  
"Thank you," the witch smiled.  
  
  
  
"You show me I don't have to worry so much about you and this will all be a lot easier."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
  
  
"Even if I don't… approve of your going out on your own like that… What you do makes a difference for the rest of us."  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" she smiled again.  
  
  
  
"Yeah… You've saved a lot of people."  
  
  
  
"Always an upside, you know?"  
  
  
  
"I worry about you, Prue. I do all my charges… losing one of you is not something I like to do…" the whitelighter cried.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry about that… I am, really. But I need you to heal me so I can show you…"  
  
  
  
"Let's go over there…" she nodded.  
  
  
  
"Okay," she started to scramble for balance.  
  
  
  
"I'll help you up…"  
  
  
  
"I can do it…" Prue insisted.  
  
  
  
As Lauren helped her up though, she accidentally dropped her grasp, Prue falling back to her and triggering a reading of her mind that made Prue stand on her own and look at the woman, eyes wider than she thought possible, tears threatening to spill over. Lauren realized what had happened and she put a hand to her mouth.  
  
  
  
"Oh… Oh My God…" she whispered, bewildered.  
  
  
  
"Prue, I can explain…" she insisted.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Phoebe…" 


	12. Undercover Angels

The woman remained silent. "This isn't… this isn't possible…"  
  
  
  
"It is…" she finally admitted. Prue forced out the breath caught in her throat.  
  
  
  
"I don't understand… how did this… It was you all along?" Lauren/Phoebe nodded.  
  
  
  
"Cara and Peter, do they know?" L/Phoebe didn't speak, instead healing her charge/niece.  
  
  
  
"Honey… You can't tell anyone about this… Not yet…"  
  
  
  
"Why not?"  
  
  
  
"It's not as simple as you think."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?" L/Phoebe looked at her.  
  
  
  
"You need to know the whole story to see… what it's all about. I wouldn't know how to start so… you can read me." Prue slowly nodded and focused.  
  
  
  
** JULY 2010 **  
  
  
  
"This can't be happening… this can't be happening…" Phoebe repeated to herself, sitting with Piper. Her sister was being unusually quiet, even for her. "There has to be a way they can send us back…"  
  
  
  
"They can't… We're dead…" Piper spoke slowly at last a moment later.  
  
  
  
"How can you be so calm about this?"  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry Phoebe, I've never died before, I don't know how I'm supposed to react…" she spoke in the same even tone.  
  
  
  
"I don't want to leave them, Piper… It's too…"  
  
  
  
"Soon? It's never the right time. I always knew somehow this would happen… runs in the family…" her voice broke.  
  
  
  
"No, Piper, don't give up. We can get back to them. I know we can." Her sister looked relieved.  
  
  
  
"You think so?"  
  
  
  
"I know so… I hope so…" she assured her, working to get both of them energized on the fledgling plan.  
  
  
  
"If you're doing it… I'm coming with you." They turned.  
  
  
  
"Eric?" they stood.  
  
  
  
"I came as soon as I heard." The sisters hugged him.  
  
  
  
"I-I can't believe it… it's been so long…" said Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"Four years on your time… doesn't feel that long up here, which makes it worse."  
  
  
  
"Are they okay, the others?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"Paige was hurt but nothing big… she's got other things to worry about… Piper, I'm sorry about…" She looked down, her still-silent face returning. Phoebe looked at her.  
  
  
  
"What's he talking about?" She gathered the courage to say what she had to.  
  
  
  
"There are three of us who lost their lives at home today…"  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"I-It's not important for now…" Piper looked at Eric.  
  
  
  
"When I died I tried to get them to send me back, and I eventually figured I'd need a solid plan to present or they'd never grant it. I've developed an idea, but it's… tricky… However I'm willing to do it."  
  
  
  
"We're listening…" said Phoebe.  
  
  
  
After a certain amount of time whose length couldn't quite be pinpointed by them, the plan had been presented, and they were called back to find out the decision.  
  
  
  
"While we are not in the habit of granting such demands, on this particular request we have decided to offer you a deal. It will not be exactly what you may have hoped for, but it is all we can do. We will send you back to Earth, taking on the… persona… of whitelighters. You will be sent to different times, and it will be years before your family reaches its present condition. Until then you will perform the duties of the common whitelighter. You may contact each other once your time locations coincide, but until then you will be on your own."  
  
  
  
Piper, Phoebe and Eric looked at each other before giving consent. The next moment they blinked, their eyes opened to a brand new place, and the mirror showed brand new faces…  
  
  
  
Eric found himself in 1957 England, knowing he was now Peter Adams, meeting his first charge, a witch in her twenties named Emma. Piper was now young Cara Mitchell, living in 1968 New York, finding her charge, an eight-year-old named Sarah. And Phoebe was Lauren Small, in 1975 California, with charge Tony Pereira. And as they were told, they did not meet again for some time…  
  
  
  
**  
  
  
  
Prue stepped back clumsily, falling to the ground in a sitting position. L/Phoebe approached her. Prue lowered her head, hands on it. "This is… W-why didn't you tell us before?" she asked, not looking up.  
  
  
  
"We wanted to, believe me… But it was part of the agreement that we had to let you deal with the loss before revealing ourselves."  
  
  
  
"So why did you do it then?" she finally looked up.  
  
  
  
"We needed to be able to look over you. There was no other way!" Prue stood again.  
  
  
  
"I want to see her."  
  
  
  
"Prue, I…"  
  
  
  
"I don't want excuses, I want to see my mother!"  
  
  
  
"I'm here…" Prue turned and observed the girl standing there, the one who looked barely older than her. She smiled though, and Prue knew that despite the different face, this was her.  
  
  
  
"Mom?" she cried. Cara/Piper nodded. Prue hugged her tight. "Mom, I've missed you so much!"  
  
  
  
"I know… I've missed you too you have no idea… For so long I've wanted to come to you. But you're here now," she smiled. "You're so beautiful," she wiped at her tears.  
  
  
  
"It's been so long…" C/Piper nodded. "Did… Did Dad know who you were?"  
  
  
  
"No, he didn't. We couldn't have told him or it would have compromised everything."  
  
  
  
"Have… have you seen him?" Prue asked with a hint of hope.  
  
  
  
"We haven't. We don't know what's happened with him. The Elders must know, but they won't say."  
  
  
  
"Hello Prue." She turned again.  
  
  
  
"Uncle Eric?" Peter/Eric nodded. She hugged him too.  
  
  
  
"Prue, go home, alright? And don't tell them what you know."  
  
  
  
"Not even Aunt Paige?"  
  
  
  
"You weren't supposed to find out. But now you have and we can't change that," C/Piper explained.  
  
  
  
"One more secret…" Prue told herself. "Alright. Will I… see you again?" They nodded. Prue hugged them again and orbed home. She went to her room and lied back on her bed.  
  
  
  
It was all so much to understand. Those three she fought for, they'd been with her all along, she had them back… sort of. What was she supposed to do now? Stop fighting? She loved doing it, and Lauren… Phoebe… had said she was helping. So stopping would only do bad, wouldn't it?  
  
  
  
So three days later she called Nate. She informed him of a location she'd found and he told her of a location she'd found and he told her he'd meet her there. As she came down the stairs she ran into Henry, stopping just short of bumping into him.  
  
  
  
"Hey, didn't see you there…"  
  
  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Uh… the mall. Going to meet the girls, maybe catch a movie…"  
  
  
  
"Can you drop me off? I have to go to the bookstore."  
  
  
  
"Why don't you… go to that new one they just opened? It's closer."  
  
  
  
"They don't have the books I need." Prue sighed.  
  
  
  
"Alright, come on." They left the house and got into the car, driving toward the mall. 'At least it's not far from the spot…' she thought to herself. After dropping him off, Prue jogged toward the location. When she got there Nate was waiting, looking around.  
  
  
  
"There you are…"  
  
  
  
"I'm so sorry about that, my cousin caught me leaving and I had to drive him to the mall."  
  
  
  
She looked around. "Have they come out yet?"  
  
  
  
"No. It's been quiet."  
  
  
  
"So what's your power anyway?"  
  
  
  
"Energy, electricity, in its many forms… Look!" he whispered. Two demons came out dragging a woman.  
  
  
  
"I don't believe it!" Prue whispered.  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"It's Mariska, Keeper of Water…"  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
Prue reached inside her shirt and pulled out a chain, at the end of which was clasped the sphere she had received a few months back. She still had no idea how to use it, but it must have known because within a second her sphere lit up, and a blue stream of smoke flew out toward Mariska. But when it reached her, it faded.  
  
  
  
"What happened?" Nate asked as Prue backed up.  
  
  
  
"It's not her… it's a trap…" Nate went into alert-mode.  
  
  
  
"Prue?" they heard, and she gasped.  
  
  
  
"Henry! How did he find me?" she whispered. However that was cut short as the demons saw her cousin. Prue ran to tackle him out of the way, but when he saw her coming he turned and reached out toward her as though to ask her what was going on. When their hands touched, Prue decided to go into a fly up and out of danger, since he'd already seen enough that she'd have to explain anyway. But as she did that, she felt like a surge had gone through her. She was an excellent flyer, but never that excellent. As she was in the air, the three across the lot looked up, giving Nate a chance to fry them. Prue landed near him with Henry. He let go of her hand.  
  
  
  
"What just happened here?" he looked at Prue and Nate.  
  
  
  
"That's what I'd like to know…" Prue breathed hard, jolted from the experience. Nate was looking at Henry.  
  
  
  
"I think I know…" he turned to Prue. "He's never had powers, has he?"  
  
  
  
"Powers?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"No, we all did except him."  
  
  
  
"I need to test this… Henry, is it? Take my hand." Henry looked at Prue and she nodded. He did as told. Nate reached out a hand and a large mass of crackling energy sprouted from his fingers. "That's what I thought. He's an Augmenter."  
  
  
  
"What?" Prue and Henry spoke at once.  
  
  
  
"Witch, usually male, usually without any apparent powers, but in contact with another magical being, an Augmenter will cause a sort of… power boost. They're very rare, though it can run in the family, if he has a son someday… Explains why they set the trap."  
  
  
  
"I knew it, I felt that it wasn't really Mariska. But… how did they know he'd come here?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Nate told her, and his tone wasn't very comforting on the subject.  
  
  
  
"Prue, what's going on?" Henry turned to his cousin. She hesitated a few seconds, then launched into it.  
  
  
  
"Try to remember to when our mothers were alive, seeing odd things… They were witches. So is Aunt Paige, you, me, and all the other kids. After they died, Aunt Paige took away the others' powers. She left me mine because I was too old to forget, and she didn't do it to you because she… we didn't think you even had powers." She paused. "I've been fighting, these past few months. Demons, warlocks, general bad guys of the magical type. I didn't want to have to lie to you, about this and everything. But the powers were to be kept secret from the other kids, and this fighting thing… Well I haven't told anyone. Now you're aware, so you can't tell either. But… you can help if you want." He didn't need to think.  
  
  
  
"I'm in."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
April 23rd 2020  
  
  
  
"We need to talk," Keely pulled Prue into an empty classroom.  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"I've been pretty acceptant so far, but at a certain point I have to ask. Is everything alright with you? These past few months we've hardly seen you and you're always running off to who knows where…"  
  
  
  
"It's complicated, Keel."  
  
  
  
"I'm your friend, and the fact you won't tell me is worrying." Prue felt bad.  
  
  
  
"Look… It's not that I don't want to tell you, I just can't. Not yet. But I will tell you one day. Until then I hope you can understand and not be too mad at me."  
  
  
  
"I'm not mad. I just worry about you, Goof." Prue smiled and hugged her friend.  
  
  
  
"You're too good for me." They laughed.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
June 2021  
  
  
  
"Did you find it?" Helena returned to Prue's room, slightly winded.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, Cecilia 'borrowed' it."  
  
  
  
"I should have known," Helena smiled. "Almost ready? We'll need to leave early if we want to get everyone in place in time, you know?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Prue laughed.  
  
  
  
"I'm gonna go see if the girls are ready."  
  
  
  
"Thanks Len."  
  
  
  
"No problem," said the 15-year-old with a smile before heading off.  
  
  
  
It was Prue's graduation day and she couldn't wait. It had been a close race for valedictorian, and despite her excellent grades she knew all her hunting could very well have lost it for her.  
  
  
  
There was a knock at her window and she jumped. Turning she saw it was Nate. She hurried to open the window. "Wow…" he observed her outfit… there was definite awe. She blushed.  
  
  
  
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you know I have graduation today. And I'm the class-elected speaker, I can't miss."  
  
  
  
"I found a hide-out, loosely guarded enough for us to get in…" He was tempting her into it, they both knew.  
  
  
  
"How many?"  
  
  
  
"Eight. Strictly warlocks as I've heard."  
  
  
  
"I'm… not sure we can handle that many…" she told him, though inside she was just itching to go.  
  
  
  
"Come on, it'll be fun. And we can handle them. What's the worst that can happen? You can orb to your school if time's too tight. Please?" he asked, sort of giddily. Prue looked around, then with a sigh scribbled a note that she'd meet them there. She took Nate's hand and flew down with him.  
  
  
  
A few minutes later they arrived at the location. They looked through the window and saw the bunch. "Aren't you glad you came?"  
  
  
  
"Thrilled," she smiled, but it didn't last. "I'm only counting seven… Where's the…" Nate and Prue were grabbed from behind. "Eighth…" They were smacked to the wall headfirst, falling in a heap, unconscious.  
  
  
  
When they re-awoke, they were tied back to back, hands together, sitting on the ground of a dark room. "Well that didn't go the way I thought…" Nate winced at the pain in his head. "You okay?"  
  
  
  
"H-Hang on." She lifted off the ground slowly and took them toward the window in the door. "I see them… all of them this time." Bringing them back down she orbed out of the ropes, rubbing at her wrists. She untied Nate and went to the window again.  
  
  
  
"Got a plan?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah." She took his hand and orbed them into a hiding spot within the main room. He handed her a few small, labeled bottles, which she checked. She nodded, and then indicating a count of three, they sprung into attack. It was rough, fast-paced, and Nate and Prue were on top of the situation. Two were eliminated through Prue's ability to read their attacks and focus them on another before leaping out of the way. Nate's electricity vanquished three, the potions took two. The last was the one who'd caught them outside, a real icebox type.  
  
  
  
"Take him at a flight, I'll shock him while he's looking your way," Nate thought, to Prue's listening ear. Prue immediately moved in. The warlock wasn't easily fooled, and Prue was forced to move in closer to kick him as Nate shocked him into oblivion. In the process Prue was sent flying back, but she got control again and landed safely though the shirt of her dress had taken a bit of a beating. She made it go away with a spell she'd heard hear Aunt say and her dress was as good as new.  
  
  
  
"That guy… was huge…" she panted. They both laughed, obliviously stepping toward each other. They were just inches away when she remembered… "Oh no! Graduation! I have to go!" She kissed him quickly, their first, and she orbed off.  
  
  
  
She was just in time, practically pushed to the stage. She smile to her family, waved to her friends. She looked up, about to speak, when she thought she saw someone familiar standing off just close enough that he could see the ceremony. At the very least she thought it was him. But sure or not it made saying her speech hard. She blocked out the nervousness and marched on. The rest went off perfectly, though when she looked again near the end, he was gone… the man who looked like her father…  
  
  
  
"You okay?" Keely asked, coming up to Prue. She turned and put on a smile.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, fine," she assured her as Norah and Caroline arrived.  
  
  
  
"Alright, we are finally done with this place, college here we come!" Norah bounced into the scene. Caroline made with the 'woo hoo!' hand motions.  
  
  
  
"This weekend we're painting the apartment, right?" Prue asked Keely of the place the four had rented together. She nodded. There were two bedrooms, which they'd share two by two, with bunk beds as they'd finally relented to Norah's space-saving idea. Prue would have the top bunk in her room, as she didn't mind heights and Keely was all the opposite of that.  
  
  
  
After her friends left, Prue was approached by her family. "Angel, I'm so proud of you," her Aunt Paige smiled as she hugged her.  
  
  
  
"Thanks. I'm just glad it's over. You know me and speeches…" Prue smiled back. She thought about Nate and how much she wanted to be back with him and before the thought had even finished forming, she spoke. "Uh, I have to go do something, I'll be home for dinner." Before they could say anything she ran off and orbed to Nate's.  
  
  
  
"Hello graduate," he smiled, reading on his unfolded sofa bed. He always said that the thing was permanently set up that way, so he'd treat it as a sofa even in this state.  
  
  
  
"I'm shameless," she sighed, sitting next to him.  
  
  
  
"And I love that about you," he put the book away and turned to her with that goofy smile that always made her giggle.  
  
  
  
"Really… Does that mean you looove me?" she teased, leaning in.  
  
  
  
"Maybe I do," he placed a hand on her cheek, tracing the lines of her ear with his fingers the way she liked.  
  
  
  
"Well, maybe I do too…" she felt her cheeks get warm. He kissed her and the rest of the world was gone to her, all she could or wanted to think about was him and her, and what in the back of her mind she'd known, ever since he'd shown up at her window, would happen.  
  
  
  
Some time later, Prue turned over toward Nate, hugging the sheets around her. He was sleeping. She smiled, putting her head down to look into his face. He looked so different now… relaxed, not worried about anything.  
  
  
  
Her mind-reading focus had been thrown in a loop now, and she waited for it to 'regain calm'. But it hadn't yet, and when she caught on to an odd tidbit in Nate's head, she let it come. She'd become used to hearing things in the context of a dream from slumbering 'subjects', and in this case Nate seemed to be talking to someone about those warlocks they killed. Then the person gave Nate his 'fees', and Nate fried him. She gasped and tuned it out.  
  
  
  
She dressed and orbed home without waking him. She checked the driveway and saw the car wasn't there. They were supposed to go a few places before they went home and with their bunch that could take a while. She jumped on the opportunity and went in, taking the stairs two-by-two and heading into the bathroom.  
  
  
  
She stood in the shower, trying to make sense of what she'd heard. Was he going after those guys strictly for money? That could end up being dangerous, for them and others. She wasn't sure whether she should talk about it with him or not, because then he'd know she had read him.  
  
  
  
After her shower she dressed again, re-fixed her waist-length hair and waited for her family to return. In the silence of the living room a whole mess of thoughts assaulted her. She'd fallen for Nate and she never thought that there might be something off about him. She remembered what L/Phoebe had said, that Nate was trouble. But she wasn't able to let go of him. She knew there was something she could do to help him. There had to be.  
  
  
  
She was tired of lying to everyone. They were so good to her, so loving, and she was lying to them day after day. She wasn't sure why she did it all anymore… the fighting. It wasn't even about her family now, it was just the love of the action, the thrill, the rewarding feeling.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
August 16th 2021  
  
  
  
"You remember what I showed you yesterday?" Prue asked her 16-year-old cousin as they ducked shots with Nate, the trio of bad guys circling them like vultures.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?" Henry stood ready and Prue took off, circling Nate and reaching down. Henry grabbed her hand and spun her around once before releasing her. She rocketed out and knocked them down bowling-style. "Halliwell Cannonball," Henry grinned as Nate took his turn at an Augmenter shot, toasting the trio. Prue stood with a satisfied smile.  
  
  
  
"Nice work guys!"  
  
  
  
"We're a good team," Nate nodded. Prue became serious.  
  
  
  
"Henry, you should go, you'll be late."  
  
  
  
"Right, thanks." He ran off. Prue looked at Nate in time to see him stick something in his pocket.  
  
  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"It's nothing," he shrugged.  
  
  
  
"Nate…" she approached him. "Please." He reached in again and pulled out three identical rings. "What are these?"  
  
  
  
"Look, it's complicated…"  
  
  
  
"That's their rings, you're taking them to some guy to sell them…" she shook her head.  
  
  
  
"You read me?" he asked, surprised.  
  
  
  
"Well what other choice do I have if you won't talk to me?" He looked down. She went up to him. "You know how much I care for you, and I worry. I just need to know that I won't lose you to this…" He looked up.  
  
  
  
"You won't, I promise. I don't want you to worry, but there are things I have to do."  
  
  
  
"How do I know those rings won't be used for evil purposes?"  
  
  
  
"The guy I'm selling them to, he's human and completely harmless. So are the rings. They don't do anything, they're just worth a lot."  
  
  
  
"But why?" He turned away.  
  
  
  
"After my brother died, things really changed for me. I left home, left school… that was six years ago."  
  
  
  
"What were you? Twelve?"  
  
  
  
"Eleven at the time. It would just be too complicated to go back, and I don't know how to really do anything so I have to earn the money somehow…" Prue wiped at the few tears that came. He faced her again. "I don't want to lose you either, Prue. You make it all mean something. I know that what I do makes a difference. You… you make me feel important. I hadn't felt that in years…"  
  
  
  
Prue hugged him tight, tears free-flowing now. Things felt right, more than they had in the years since her mother's death and her father's disappearance. She knew she'd never love another man the way she loved Nate.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
March 4th 2022  
  
  
  
"There you are! I was wondering where you went off to," Keely spoke up as she saw Prue walk into their apartment. She didn't respond to it.  
  
  
  
"Are Norah and Car here?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"Norah's got a class until six and Caroline is having a late lunch with Patrick," she smiled.  
  
  
  
"Good, because I need to talk to you about something… alone." For the first time Keely noticed her friend was fidgeting a little bit.  
  
  
  
"Everything alright?" Prue sat next to her, dropping her backpack at her feet.  
  
  
  
"Remember about two years ago, when I told you there was something I couldn't tell you yet? Well… now I'm telling you."  
  
  
  
"I'm listening," Keely nodded.  
  
  
  
"I… I'm a witch. I have powers, and so did my cousins until their powers were taken away. I've been fighting demons and general evil for about two and a half years behind my family's back."  
  
  
  
"I see…" Keely didn't look like she believed her.  
  
  
  
"I have not become like your crazy, cat-loving-wet-kiss-giving grandmother!" She stopped at her look. "I can read minds."  
  
  
  
"A-alright, I believe you." Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"I've wanted to tell you for so long…"  
  
  
  
"Why are you telling me all this now?"  
  
  
  
"Because…" she sighed, "I think I'm pregnant." 


	13. New Generation

A/N: Chub: You'll have to wait and see :)  
  
A quick notice, starting next chapter, we fall into a different format for a bit, an 'episode' format, in the sense that there's an adventure, starts at the top of the ep, finishes at the end :) That will last from chapters 14 to 30 :D (I'm presently writing #23)  
  
On a bit of a sad note, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my cousin's husband and sons. She passed away yesterday. I hadn't seen her a lot in the past years, because she lived far away, but I'll still miss her, so... yeah.  
  
Hope I haven't brought down the mood too much, on to the chapter :)  
  
----  
  
A few hours later  
  
  
  
Keely returned from the kitchen carrying two glasses of water and took them to the living room as Prue walked out of the bathroom. She came to sit on the couch, bringing her feet up and hugging her legs. Keely handed her one of the glasses and sat next to her.  
  
  
  
"How long do we have to wait?"  
  
  
  
"C-Couple of minutes. I didn't know what to take so I just bought three different kinds." She looked to her glass.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions?" Keely suggested. Prue shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I've been feeling like… something was off… for a couple of weeks now. Then the thought popped into my head and I realized… Everything fit." She let out a small whimper as tears began. "What if I'm right? What am I gonna do? What am I gonna tell my family… and Nate?" She cried still, growing louder.  
  
  
  
"Well… would you keep it if you were?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know…" she wailed almost incomprehensibly. Keely took her glass and put it down with her own before hugging her scared friend.  
  
  
  
"No matter what, I'll be right there with you, count on it."  
  
  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
Their little frog-shaped timer rang from the bathroom. "Come on," Keely stood. Prue did as well, trying to put on a brave face though she was scared to death. The possibility of having a child wasn't the part that made her shake, she'd always wanted to have one or more… just not at nineteen. But it would have to be, because when they walked into the bathroom, the three tests all proclaimed the same thing… she was pregnant.  
  
  
  
"So I was right…" she sobbed, running into her room and closing the door as Norah and Caroline walked into the apartment.  
  
  
  
"Prue?" Caroline called after her, but she didn't stop.  
  
  
  
"Keel, what's going on?" Norah asked.  
  
  
  
"I think we're about to have a new roommate."  
  
  
  
In her room, Prue sat huddled on the bottom bunk. She didn't bother wiping at her tears, knowing more would replace them instantly. The door opened and her three friends filed in, coming to sit around her.  
  
  
  
"I… told them. I hope that's okay," Keely explained. Prue nodded.  
  
  
  
"How are you feeling?" Caroline asked.  
  
  
  
"Scared… Confused… Mostly scared," Prue responded, speaking clearly, finding strength in her friends.  
  
  
  
"What are you scared about?" Norah asked, knowing Prue needed to work through it.  
  
  
  
"I'm scared of screwing up… Because I know I can't… get rid of it… and giving it up isn't really an option either, so it means… I'll be keeping it, raising it… I don't know how I'll do that."  
  
  
  
"Well as I've said, I'm here for you," said Keely.  
  
  
  
"And so am I," said Norah.  
  
  
  
"So are we all…" Caroline smiled. Prue laughed through her tears as her friends all smiled at her.  
  
  
  
"Maybe it won't be so bad…"  
  
  
  
"There you go," Keely nodded.  
  
  
  
"So what are you gonna do now?" Norah asked. Prue sighed.  
  
  
  
"I have to tell my family…"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
At Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
"Mommy, I'm hungry," 7-year-old Cecilia followed Paige around.  
  
  
  
"Dinner will be ready soon, Birdy."  
  
  
  
"Okay!" she bounced off toward the living room as her nine-year-old sister came down the stairs.  
  
  
  
"Mom, can Angelina drive to school with us tomorrow morning?" Diana asked.  
  
  
  
"Alright, just as long as she's on time."  
  
  
  
"Thanks!" She returned upstairs. Paige smiled, walking into the living room, where the couch and floor held its usual group. Henry (16), Helena and Simon (15), Emily and Charlotte (13), Cecilia, Allie (15), Evie (11), Sierra (10), Shana (17) and Bryan (14) Morris. Diana joined them, sitting next to Sierra, a minute later. They were all usually here, either doing homework or playing.  
  
  
  
"Alright, how many of you are staying for dinner tonight?" Paige asked. Allie, Evie, and Sierra rose their hands.  
  
  
  
"Michael's coming to pick us up," Shana explained. Now 25, Michael had become a police officer like his father. 'Big Bear' was very proud, everyone could see it in his eyes when he talked about his son's achievements.  
  
  
  
"Okay well until he gets here, let's move into the backyard." The group got moving, through the house to the backdoor and into the yard where Glen was preparing dinner on the grill. They would eat in the dining room. The group started playing around, some at the basketball hoop installed a few summers before, others sitting and talking. "What's on the menu Cookie," Paige stood next to her husband.  
  
  
  
"You know I don't like that name," he grinned.  
  
  
  
"Sorry," she smiled.  
  
  
  
"Watch it!" Charlotte screeched. Glen and Paige looked up.  
  
  
  
"Sorry!" Helena held up her hands.  
  
  
  
"Come on, Em, it was an accident," Henry told his sister.  
  
  
  
"You nearly took my head off!"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, like I could really do that with a basketball!"  
  
  
  
Prue walked into the yard as the argument escalated. Charlotte wasn't mean, but she was extremely prone to fits like these. And Helena was usually the one she butted heads with the most. When they weren't fighting, they were able to have loads of fun together.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige, can I talk to you for a sec?"  
  
  
  
"Hang on," Paige went over to the quarreling girls.  
  
  
  
"But I really need to tell you something…"  
  
  
  
"I'll be right there," Paige moved to stop Charlotte from tackling Helena. Prue's courage was quickly waning, so she took a deep breath and…  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige, I'm pregnant…"  
  
  
  
It was like when her mother would stop time. Everything stopped. All of them looked at her. They all had this stunned look on their faces. Prue smiled and winced at once.  
  
  
  
"Let's… go inside," Paige started for the door, then turned back to the group. "Stay here, and no fighting!" She led her niece into the kitchen, then the living room. "How… How did this…"  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige!" Prue laughed lightly.  
  
  
  
"That came out wrong…" She sat with her. "Are you sure?"  
  
  
  
"Took three tests, all positive," Prue nodded.  
  
  
  
"What about the father? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone…"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, uh… about that, I have something else to tell you… Just please understand why I didn't tell you. I've been… fighting demons for about two and a half years. That's how I met him, two years ago, he's a witch too. We've been fighting together." Paige looked at her, trying to make sense of it all. "Say something…"  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about it? I don't like it, but I would have liked to know…"  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry…"  
  
  
  
"Well, we can discuss it later, right now… what do you intend to do about the baby?"  
  
  
  
"Having it… You're not suggesting I get an…"  
  
  
  
"No, no! I just mean with college, work…"  
  
  
  
"I'll find a way… It'll be hard, I know, but I'll be fine. Plus I have a lot of people who can help me if I need it, right?"  
  
  
  
"Day or night," Paige assured her. Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"You know, at first the thought of it was making me afraid, but now I really think I couldn't be happier."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, it can kind of do that to you…"  
  
  
  
"It is going to be okay, right?" Prue's smile faltered. "You think I can do this?"  
  
  
  
"I know you can," she took her hand. "And I want to meet this guy." Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
After finishing with her Aunt, she left to go see 'this guy'. She arrived at his door and opened it, used to doing it by now. Only when she walked in, she immediately knew what she would soon be told. The furniture was still there, but a lot of other things were missing.  
  
  
  
"Are you Prue?" She turned and found an old woman standing in the doorway.  
  
  
  
"I… I am." The woman nodded.  
  
  
  
"He left a few hours ago, seemed distracted." She reached inside her pocket and pulled out an envelope. Hands shaking with age and fatigue, she held the envelope out to Prue. "He said you would come, asked me to give you this." Prue carefully took it. The woman nodded again, turned, and walked off. Prue looked after her for a while, then the envelope. She went to sit on the sofa bed and slowly pulled out a folded sheet from the unsealed envelope. Unfolding it, a small pouch fell out. She looked at it, then read the letter.  
  
  
  
"I came by your apartment earlier, heard you talking with your friend. I know what's going on. I thought about what I could bring to our child, and I came up blank. I have nothing to offer, so I have left to do that. I don't know how long it will be, but when I do come back, I promise you I will be someone better for you both. I love you, more than I ever thought possible, and it's thanks to that that I know this will all be worth it. And I know you won't be alone, I know you will get through this like always… head held high and fierce strength in your eyes. Take care of yourself, of our baby, never forget. Love always, Nathaniel."  
  
  
  
She breathed as best she could. She believed his words, but it didn't make the fact that he wouldn't be there any easier. She picked up the pouch and opened it. Out of it she pulled a silver chain, with a pendant at the end, an elegant silver fairy. A strip of paper was attached to it.  
  
  
  
"This belonged to my mother, and my grandmother before. My mother gave it to me, though not to wear but to keep for the daughter I might have someday. It seems only right I should leave it with you, for her…"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
April 5 2022  
  
  
  
"Is she moving yet?"  
  
  
  
"Helena, she's still very small, I don't think I'll feel anything for a while," Prue laughed. "So, sixteen… you're getting old."  
  
  
  
"Hey!" she laughed.  
  
  
  
"Who's coming to your party? Usual suspects?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, pretty much. Allie, Kansas, Liz, Riley, the team…"  
  
  
  
"So Will's coming then?" Prue smirked. Helena blushed a bit.  
  
  
  
"Team comes, Team includes Will, Will comes…" she spouted in her 'lay-it-out' way.  
  
  
  
"I wonder what kind of present he got you…"  
  
  
  
"You love teasing me, don't you?"  
  
  
  
"It's fun!" Helena shook her head and stood.  
  
  
  
"Well, Meanie Mel, wanna help me set up the snacks?"  
  
  
  
"Okay!" she perked and stood up as well.  
  
  
  
Simon came down the stairs, side-stepping to get out of the way as Diana, Evie, Sierra, Angelina Catanzaro, and Cecilia running around. The doorbell rang, redirecting his path.  
  
  
  
"Hey," Kansas Armstrong smiled.  
  
  
  
"Hello Kansas," Simon gave a little nod as he let her in. "You're early."  
  
  
  
"Well I do live only two houses away. I figured you guys might need a hand."  
  
  
  
"Well, uh… Can you stay with the younger ones, make sure they don't break anything?"  
  
  
  
"Sure!" she laughed.  
  
  
  
"Follow the noise." She did so, her dog Gruff right on her heels. Everywhere she could bring him she did.  
  
  
  
Simon went to close the door but stopped as he saw Will Hyland, Riley Sever, and Liz Hammell coming up the walkway. "Hey guys."  
  
  
  
"We have come to party," Liz announced 'seriously' before breaking into a grin.  
  
  
  
"And party you will." He went into the living room, where furniture had been pushed back to make way. Helena and Prue were setting up the snacks and sneaking a bite every once in a while. "Your boyfriend's here," he teased his sister.  
  
  
  
"He's not my… Hi Will, hi guys!" Simon looked to see the three had come in.  
  
  
  
"Happy Birthday!" Liz stepped up to hug her friend.  
  
  
  
"Thanks!" Riley hugged her next, and then there was Will. She'd only known him a few months, since he'd moved to San Francisco, came to their school, and joined the baseball team. He had those eyes that made her heart flutter. She knew she liked him, but whether it was mutual had yet to be seen. Also, he had a girlfriend.  
  
  
  
"Happy Birthday," he smiled, displaying some shiny white teeth.  
  
  
  
"Thanks Will," she hoped she wasn't blushing. He sometimes called her the 'Graceful Batter', as she was tall and slender, and was often thought to be a ballerina by those who didn't know her 'bouncy giggler' side.  
  
  
  
Helena went up the stairs to her parents' room and knocked on the door. "Come in Froggy."  
  
  
  
"How'd you know it was me?" she laughed as she walked in.  
  
  
  
"Oh, that's a secret," Paige smiled, observing her daughter, her little Froggy Helena… all grown up. She was all she could have hoped for in a daughter, same as Diana and Cecilia in their own respects. The fact that she was now 'Sweet Sixteen' painfully reminded her that it would be sixteen years since Eric was killed. She loved Glen, nothing could change that, but she still loved Eric too. She was so grateful that Glen understood.  
  
  
  
"People are starting to arrive," Helena told her mother.  
  
  
  
"Good." She took a second, then went to her dresser and opened the bottom drawer. Helena watched curiously as she took out what she and her cousins and siblings had come to call 'the mystery box'. They'd all seen it before, but it was always locked so they never knew what was in it. Her mother already had the key in her hands. Helena tried to see what was in it, but her mother hid her view. A few seconds later she'd locked it again and put it away. When she turned, she was holding an envelope.  
  
  
  
"What's that?"  
  
  
  
"I found it years ago, in a file cabinet." She handed her the envelope and she read the words written on it.  
  
  
  
"To my daughter, for her sixteenth birthday…" Her hands were shaking. "This is… this is…" Paige approached her with a smile.  
  
  
  
"You remind me a lot of him sometimes."  
  
  
  
"Really?" she smiled back.  
  
  
  
"Yeah." She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go help downstairs if you'd like to…"  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she nodded. She hugged her mother. "I love you." She walked out, to her room. She closed the door and went to sit at her desk. She looked at the envelope for a while, almost afraid that if she opened it the envelope would disappear.  
  
  
  
She had no memories, no way to remember her birth father. She knew he was a police officer and a nice guy, but it never seemed enough. It was all just stories people would tell her. They didn't give her enough to be able to make a clear picture in her mind.  
  
  
  
"Come on Helena, it's okay…" she told herself. She turned the yellowed envelope over, gently tearing the side off. She reached in and pulled out a small stack of sheets folded together. Just as carefully, she unfolded them.  
  
  
  
April 2nd 2006  
  
Dear Helena,  
  
Today, the day you read this letter, you are sixteen. And if you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. The work I do often puts me in danger, everyday, so I know the chances of that are high. But wherever I am, know that I love you, and I'll always be with you… one way or another.  
  
Right as I write these words, you're not here yet but you soon will be. Your mother sleeps at my side and looking at her I know that no matter what happens to me, you're in the best hands in the world, you are happy, have a good life. I'm hoping I can live it with you.  
  
  
  
Helena read on, tears spilling over. She held the sheets at a short distance to keep them safe. When she was done, she took a few deep breaths to regain calm. She had a smile on that would take hours to go away. And even then she'd be smiling inside. Because on that day she'd gotten to know her father.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
July 20th 2022 – Barcelona, Spain  
  
  
  
"Last one in the water has to wait on the rest of us until tomorrow night! Go!" Allie shouted. She started for the edge of the dock along with Helena, Kansas, Henry, Merilyn, Emily, Charlotte and friends Celia Redwood and Mia Hayworth. Nearby on some of the many long chairs set up were Diana, Cecilia, Simon, Prue, Paige, Glen, and Jason. The Deans had been living in Spain again for a month now, and would return just in time for fall classes. Their family and friends had been invited to spend some time there with them.  
  
  
  
"You were last, you know?" Merilyn swam to Henry with a smirk.  
  
  
  
"Let's keep that between us, alright?" he replied. In the past couple of years, they had become great friends, and Henry was afraid he'd missed his chance to tell her how he felt. He had no idea that was all about to change.  
  
  
  
"Follow me," she told him, swimming to the space under the dock. He looked around, then followed. "I'm so glad you invited us to come, I love it here."  
  
  
  
"It is incredible," he nodded.  
  
  
  
"You know, this whole thing, the visit… It's like a perfect little memory waiting to happen. And I think I know how to make sure of that…"  
  
  
  
"You do…"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh," she nodded.  
  
  
  
"And how's that?"  
  
  
  
"Like this…" She kissed him. The surprised, blushing look on his face made her laugh. "See?" He nodded slowly. "Never doubt women's intuition," she told him before swimming out from under the dock. He just floated there for a few seconds until…  
  
  
  
"Wake up!" Cecilia splashed him.  
  
  
  
"Unwise, little one," he put on a 'tough' voice before splashing her back. She laughed and they continued into the middle of the main area and the others joined in. Their 'water war' drew the other kids into diving in as well, leaving the adults and Prue to watch and laugh.  
  
  
  
Later that day, as they were getting ready for bed, Emily, Charlotte, Celia and Mia sat by the twins' bedroom window. All but Celia, who had her blonde hair short, were combing their just-washed hair. Celia and Mia were more Charlotte's friends, but they got along with Emily as well. She usually hung out with Bryan Morris and Max Riordan, but they hadn't been able to come.  
  
  
  
"If we get Mrs. Trainer again this year I'm just going to give up on History. It has to be more interesting than she's making it seem," Emily told the others.  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you she's a robot," Charlotte told her sister. Emily nodded.  
  
  
  
"So Em…" Mia started, "Have you asked Max out yet?" Celia made swooning motions.  
  
  
  
"He's my friend, I can't do that…" she brushed some of her hair behind her ears.  
  
  
  
"Now you sound like Henry," Charlotte teased.  
  
  
  
"Yes, but we all know how that turned out," Celia winked, and the four girls started laughing.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 9th 2022  
  
  
  
"How are you feeling?" Paige asked her niece as they sat on the couch. Prue was getting extremely close to her delivery. She was due two days ago, but other than false labor, the baby appeared quite content just staying where she was.  
  
  
  
"My back hurts like h…" she stopped to prevent saying the word she'd been about to. "A lot…"  
  
  
  
"Well you're almost done, just hang in there," she patted her shoulder.  
  
  
  
"I wish Nate was here…" Prue admitted. When she'd explained about his departure, her Aunt was mostly understanding. Her Uncle Glen was slightly angry at the guy.  
  
  
  
"I know you do Angel," she hugged her.  
  
  
  
"And… Mom too… Dad… I really miss them right now," she tried to laugh it off.  
  
  
  
She did see C/Piper from time to time, but it just wasn't enough. She was just as emotional about the coming baby as she was, and she tried to drop by more often.  
  
  
  
"They'd be very proud of how you've been handling things."  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"I'm gonna go start on laundry. If you need anything, let me know." Prue nodded and Paige headed upstairs as Diana came in from the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"Hi!" she greeted her pregnant cousin.  
  
  
  
"Hey D, what are you up to?"  
  
  
  
"Nothing. I'm thinking about starting that book I bought last Tuesday." Diana loved to read, had done so since she was very little.  
  
  
  
"Good," Prue nodded.  
  
  
  
"I could read it aloud, then she'd hear it too. It's not violent or anything."  
  
  
  
"Sounds like fun," Prue smiled. Diana reached into her bag, which she carried everywhere, and pulled out the new book.  
  
  
  
"Can I listen too?" Cecilia stood in the door.  
  
  
  
"Come sit next to me," Diana waved her sister over. Suddenly there was a great cry and they looked up to see Paige crash at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
  
  
"AUNT PAIGE!" Prue screeched as she and the girls sprung up.  
  
  
  
"What happened?" Henry asked as he and the rest came running in from the back.  
  
  
  
"She fell down the stairs!" Prue cried.  
  
  
  
"Mommy!" Cecilia cried as Diana held her sister's hand.  
  
  
  
"S-She's not breathing!" Helena yelped.  
  
TBC :) 


	14. Ep 1 Learning Again

Okay, it's not quiiite Tuesday yet, but let's just suspend reality and pretend it is, k? ;) I'm reeeally tired so I'm off to bed, but I still wanted to put this up... anyway, it probably won't even be up 'til past midnight so... Enjoy!  
  
PS!! Please note we're now entering a new format for the story, aka "episode-ish format" ;) Basically that just means an adventure starts at the beginning of the chapter, and ends at the end of it :) This will last for seventeen chapters, then back to the old format :D  
  
----  
  
"Mommy!" Cecilia cried again, Diana turning her sister's head away as she cried too. Without stopping to think about the ramifications this exposure would do, Prue pushed to the front of the huddle and kneeled down as best she could.  
  
  
  
"Helena, stand back! Henry, come here!" He did, Prue grabbed his hand and held her other over her Aunt's head.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing, we have to get her to the hospital!" Helena crouched again.  
  
  
  
"Stand BACK!" Prue instructed her as she focused harder. "Come on!" she muttered to herself. Finally, slowly but surely, light wrapped around her hand and she could feel it was working. "Yes!"  
  
  
  
"W-What's happening?" Helena asked. The words were barely out of her mouth when they heard the chandelier shaking. A bluish bright light illuminated the group as Paige was starting to regain consciousness.  
  
  
  
"Oh… This can't be good…" Prue whispered to herself. Her Aunt opened her eyes. "Careful, we almost lost you there."  
  
  
  
"I think you had…" she sat up, as her two youngest daughters ran into her arms. She hugged them tight. "Mommy's okay," she reassured them, "Mommy's okay."  
  
  
  
"Mom, what's going on?" Helena asked frantically. "I mean Prue's hand was all bright, and you… you were gone and back, and the chandelier…" Paige inwardly gasped, knowing what had just happened.  
  
  
  
"Well…" she started.  
  
  
  
"We have to go…" All turned to Prue, who still sat on her knees, though now she had both hands on her belly and she looked in pain.  
  
  
  
"Is it time, are you sure?" Paige asked and Prue nodded. "Helena, call Ava, tell her to meet us at the hospital." The incident seemed presently forgotten as they helped Prue up.  
  
  
  
"And Keely too!" she told Helena. "Her and the others…" Her cousin nodded and scrambled for the phone.  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, the family arrived at the hospital. Glen, who'd been out of the house, was called and now on his way. Helena had spoken with Liliana Nicolae, Ava's 17-year-old and twin to Mirella. She assured Helena that her mother was on the way. She arrived just as Prue was being wheeled to delivery.  
  
  
  
"What did you do back there?" Helena was asking as she followed the bed.  
  
  
  
"Can we talk about this LATER?" Prue breathed. She was moved beyond the point where her family couldn't follow anymore. Keely went with her as it'd been decided.  
  
  
  
In the waiting room, Paige was faced with many questions. After sending Norah and Caroline on a snack errand, she prepared to tell them something not necessarily the truth, when…  
  
  
  
"Why am I seeing myself?" Emily was almost hyperventilating, "Why am I seeing myself saying this?" She started breathing normally again a few seconds later. "Okay, what just happened here?" Cecilia was still staying as close to her mother as possible and crying.  
  
"I want Violet," she whimpered. Just as she'd said the name, the purple bear orbed into her hands. Paige gasped, and so did the others.  
  
  
  
"Oh… I died…" Paige spoke to herself.  
  
  
  
"Mom, what's going on?" Helena asked. The kids looked at Paige. Before she could answer though, Keely came in.  
  
  
  
"She's here! Seven pounds on the dot. Come on, they've taken Prue to a room and they'll bring the baby."  
  
  
  
"How is she? Tired, I presume?" Paige asked as she stood with Cecilia in her arms.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, but she did good according to the doctor." The group, which now included Glen, followed Keely. Paige handed the still frightened Cecilia over to her father, who still had no idea what had happened at the manor, and had arrived just after Cecilia's orbing Violet to herself. She went to the new mother.  
  
  
  
"Congratulations!"  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she smiled. Her long hair had been hurriedly put in a braid on the way over. A nurse came in, wheeling the 'carriage' over. She handed the wide-eyed newborn to Prue and the others gathered around to see.  
  
  
  
"Wow…" Helena smiled as Prue cried tears of joy.  
  
  
  
"What are you naming her?" Paige asked of her sort-of-granddaughter. Prue looked at her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Molly… Molly Angela Halliwell."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning – Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
After leaving the hospital the previous afternoon, Paige was afraid of facing the questions, but that didn't come. In fact they were pretty quiet. There were no magical occurrences, and the topic was ignored until now, the morning after, when Prue and little Molly came by after leaving the hospital. They were driven by Keely, who came in with them. As though they'd been waiting for her to be there to do it, the questions began.  
  
  
  
"Mom, we want to know," Helena told Paige.  
  
  
  
"Know what?" Glen asked. Paige cringed.  
  
  
  
"Between your… miraculous revival… Emily seeing something that didn't make sense, Cecilia's bear appearing out of nowhere…"  
  
  
  
"And the chandelier, don't forget the chandelier," Charlotte pointed out to her cousin. She'd seen the 'something that didn't make sense' too, the night before.  
  
  
  
"Paige, what are they talking about?" Glen asked his wife.  
  
  
  
"Twelve years ago, after Piper and Phoebe were killed, I was faced with a decision. See… They were and I am still… witches. We had powers, and so would our children… you. But as it was decided, you might benefit from a life without the dangers that came with who we were, what we were. So I bound… took away… Emily, Charlotte, and Helena's powers, then Diana and Cecilia's when they were born. Prue was at an age where she wouldn't so easily forget what she'd been able to do all her life, so I let her keep her powers. And Henry… well he didn't have powers, so I didn't do anything. But when I fell down the stairs yesterday, I was… dead, just briefly, and that action appears to have… returned your powers."  
  
  
  
The room was silent for a minute, then Helena began to laugh. "You're kidding, right? I mean that's not possible!"  
  
  
  
"You're sure of that?" Prue asked, handing Molly to Keely. Helena nodded. "Then how would you explain this?" She took flight, hovering above their heads. They gasped. She landed again. "Believe us now?"  
  
  
  
"Starting to…" Helena spoke slowly.  
  
  
  
"What… powers… do we have?" Emily asked.  
  
  
  
"Well… Your Uncle Leo and my father were both whitelighters… guardian angels for us… so myself, Prue, Helena, Diana, Cecilia, we have certain powers from them, mainly orbing."  
  
  
  
"Orbing?" Helena asked. Without preventing, Prue turned sharply to her cousin and let out a loud 'Boo!' Helena held her arms in front of her face and cringed before disappearing in orbs and reappearing a second later. She breathed heavily as the others went wide-eyed.  
  
  
  
"Orbing," Prue smiled. "Not quite 'Beam me up, Scotty', but close."  
  
  
  
"Dizzy…" Helena muttered, rubbing at her head.  
  
  
  
"Normal at first. You'll get used to it," Prue assured before turning to her Aunt.  
  
  
  
"Prue can also, as you've seen, fly. And she can read thoughts. Helena, you have the power of premonition. You'll get visions of events yet to come. You might have a headache from time to time."  
  
  
  
"Great…" she muttered, though she couldn't deny if she weren't so dizzy she'd be happier about this development.  
  
  
  
"Emily and Charlotte, all we were able to see before your powers were bound was that the two of you have what we've called a 'psychic connection'. As you've seen before, you can see through each other's eyes. Other aspects of the connection were never known to us, so we'll see now…" The twins nodded, looking at each other, smiling.  
  
  
  
"What can I do?" Diana asked. Paige crouched next to her.  
  
  
  
"You have the power to 'freeze' time. It doesn't work on other witches like us, but…" she nudged the desk behind her and the glass 'key bowl' toppled over the edge. Diana's hands shot up to retrieve it. The bowl stopped falling, halting in mid-air. Paige pointed to Glen, Simon, and Keely, frozen in place. Prue took Molly back from Keely. Diana was fascinated by what she'd done. She reached out to touch the bowl. As soon as she did, the bowl continued to fall. Paige orbed it to her hand and placed it back. Those who'd been frozen were slightly disoriented.  
  
  
  
"Cool," Diana smiled. Paige smiled back.  
  
  
  
"What about me? What can I do?" Cecilia asked excitedly. Paige laughed.  
  
  
  
"You have the same power I do, and also the one your Aunt Prue had. Like her, you can move objects with your mind. And like me you can call to objects and they'll orb to you." That appeared to satisfy Cecilia. Prue looked at Henry. He understood.  
  
  
  
"Actually, Aunt Paige… I do have abilities. We found out about it almost three years ago.  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"This would be a good time to show them the Book…" Prue told her Aunt. She sighed.  
  
  
  
"Meet me in the attic," she told them before orbing off.  
  
  
  
"The attic?" Helena called after her mother.  
  
  
  
"Come on…" Prue instructed her cousins. They began up the stairs. When they got to the attic, Paige was there, standing over a large trunk. She pulled out a big object wrapped in velvet. She took it to a stand and from the cloth she produced the long-hidden Book of Shadows.  
  
  
  
"Gather around," she told the children.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige, may I?" Prue asked. She nodded. Prue went to the Book, immediately thinking of the time she'd multiplied herself. She searched for a couple of minutes before… "There. This is what Henry can do." Paige looked.  
  
  
  
"Augmenter… that's how you healed me, isn't it?" Prue nodded. "Well… looks like we're going to have a lot to deal with."  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Prue agreed as the phone rang from downstairs.  
  
  
  
"Phone!" Cecilia announced, inadvertently orbing it into her hands. She squealed happily. Paige laughed as she took the phone. "Hello?" she answered.  
  
  
  
"Hello, Paige? This is Karen," Mrs. Hendrix sounded slightly shaken.  
  
  
  
"Hey Karen, how are you?" she asked. Keely looked up at the mention of her mother's name.  
  
  
  
"Not good."  
  
  
  
"What happened?" she asked, causing Keely to start worrying.  
  
  
  
"Yesterday afternoon… Sierra disappeared."  
  
  
  
"What? Did you find her?"  
  
  
  
"Not disappeared as in she wasn't there, disappeared as in she vanished, got lighter and lighter and faded until we couldn't see her anymore. Only she was still there, we could hear her speak, she was scared. It was like she was invisible. Eventually she reappeared, but it's been happening every so often."  
  
  
  
"Oh I forgot about her powers…" she spoke to herself.  
  
  
  
"And… Walker left just now. He took two suitcases, I don't think he's coming back," she cried. "He was angry that I didn't tell him about what Sierra was, and we'd been fighting for a while, I guess that was the last straw…"  
  
  
  
"Alright, I'm coming over." She hung up.  
  
  
  
"What's going on?" Keely asked.  
  
  
  
"Come on, we're going to your house."  
  
  
  
In the car ride over, Paige brought Keely up to speed. The girl learned, with expected shock, that her sister was a witch too. The hardest had been to tell her that her father had left upon learning about it. She'd used the rest of the ride and worked to reach a level of calm to be there for her mother and sister.  
  
  
  
"Look, by now you guys are like family to us, so… whatever you need, we'll be there for you," Paige told the girl as they parked in front of the house. Keely smiled.  
  
  
  
"Thanks."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 11th 2022 – Diana and Cecilia's school  
  
  
  
"You two remember, don't use your powers. I know it might be hard to control them, but I also know you're able to do this," Paige told her daughters as they stood outside the car. They nodded.  
  
  
  
"Diana!" They looked up and saw Angelina was waving at them.  
  
  
  
"Have a good day HoneyDee," Paige kissed her goodbye.  
  
  
  
"Later Mom!" she ran off. Paige watched until the girls were inside the building, waved to Ana Catanzaro and turned to Cecilia.  
  
  
  
"You know, I was thinking last night it might be a good idea if you had someone to play with who you could be open to." Cecilia nodded. "And I happen to know someone who has a daughter your age who goes here. What do you think? You want to try that out?" Cecilia nodded again. "Great. Here they come now."  
  
  
  
About eight years ago, she'd met the woman in her Lamaze class. Through some conversations she'd found out she was a witch too. They'd kept in contact over the years though not openly, for fear of the children hearing something they shouldn't. And this was a mutual favor. The woman's daughter was kind of shy, fully shy rather, and usually stayed alone. She was afraid of accidentally hurting someone.  
  
  
  
"Raina, hey," Paige stood and shared a quick hug with the woman. The short brown-haired girl at her side made sure not to lose grasp of her hand.  
  
  
  
"Hi Paige," she nodded. "You must be Cecilia," she looked at the blonde.  
  
  
  
"Hi!" she nodded. Raina turned back to her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Don't be scared sweetie, they're witches too." The girl slowly rose her head. Little Reissy McKiernan had a slight lisp as she spoke.  
  
  
  
"Just like us?" she asked her mother.  
  
  
  
"That's right," Raina smiled. "This is Cecilia and her mom Paige."  
  
  
  
"Hi," she smiled to Cecilia. "I'm Reissy," she struggled to pronounce it right.  
  
  
  
"Hello!" Cecilia waved happily.  
  
  
  
"You girls better get going or you'll be late," Paige told them. They said goodbye to their respective mothers and started toward the school.  
  
  
  
"I've seen you before," Cecilia told Reissy. "But you were always alone and didn't look like you wanted to talk to anyone."  
  
  
  
"I want to talk with the others but… They make fun of me and I'm scared I'll hurt them," she admitted.  
  
  
  
"Hurt them? How?" Cecilia asked as they walked toward their classroom. Almost in response, a boy ran by.  
  
  
  
"Hey Lispy-Reissy!" The girl blinked a lot, like she was trying to control herself. But then her head gave a light jerking motion and the boy fell down, almost like something had pushed him. Reissy cringed.  
  
  
  
"Like that."  
  
  
  
"How…" Cecilia was amazed.  
  
  
  
"My mom calls it… con… concussive energy or something," she enunciated. "T-things fall down."  
  
  
  
"I only got my powers yesterday… Actually I got them back… I don't get that part really," she shrugged.  
  
  
  
"What can you do?" Reissy asked.  
  
  
  
"Couple things but… Only one I know how to do yet. I… say an object's name and it appears in my hands."  
  
  
  
"Cool," Reissy smiled. "So does this mean we're… friends?"  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh," Cecilia grinned.  
  
  
  
"Good," Reissy smiled the smile of someone who'd never really had a friend.  
  
  
  
A few classes away, Diana and the others sat in their spots. She kept her hands firmly pressed against the wooden desk in front of her. She had this fear that something would make her accidentally freeze everything.  
  
  
  
"Are you okay?" Angelina asked.  
  
  
  
"Fine," Diana assured.  
  
  
  
"You don't look it. You look like you're about to jump to the ceiling." She was right, she did look odd. Carefully, she sat back and lifted her hands into a regular position. Angelina smiled. Diana sighed and looked out the window. Everything had changed on her overnight. A part of her life she never knew even existed had been revealed to her. It would take adjusting.  
  
  
  
At the high school, her older sister felt the same way as lunch time rolled around. Helena had been told Allie used to know about her secret as well, but like the rest of them had forgotten it all. Helena had argued with herself for a few hours before deciding she couldn't tell her. Not yet anyway… not until she herself knew more.  
  
  
  
The daily lunch routine took motion. At their usual table, one person waited with the group's belongings. Today it was Simon. At this time the rest of them, Helena, Allie, Kansas, Liz, and Riley, loaded up their trays, snatching the choice-worthy items for the lot of them, as a lot of it could barely be qualified as 'food'. Liz and Riley would have their 'take-and-return' match as Riley picked up some things and, with a shake of her head, Liz would put it back, proclaiming there was something wrong with it while he insisted it was perfectly fine.  
  
  
  
After waiting the five minutes it usually took to get past the cashier with the long waiting line, they'd made their way back to the table, someone usually making a comment on how they'd be better off bringing lunches. Today it was Allie. They'd sit down and the distribution of their 'bounty' would begin. Once everyone had their trays in order, lunch began. The topic of the day: Heather Lyndsey's upcoming Christmas party.  
  
  
  
Under the wing of Kevin Marcowitz she'd turned from a follower to a 'ruler'. She was that girl, that one every school had. The one with a lot of money, head-cheerleader, jock-ish boyfriend, and the envy of some and pain-in-the-butt of others. Now Paul Michaels and Kevin, along with Heather, ruled over their class. Who was cool, who wasn't. Fortunately, since not many fell into her 'approved' list, there were more of Helena and her friends' 'side' than Heather's. So they were fine, all they had to do was ignore her. Unfortunately for Helena, that came with one big problem… she was Will Hyland's girlfriend. So to sneak a look at him, she had to endure seeing Heather all over him.  
  
  
  
"She goes by and makes sure all of us 'losers' can see we're not invited. Like we'd really want to go," Kansas was saying as Helena returned from her thoughts.  
  
  
  
"Well then we're all happy, aren't we?" They looked up as Heather and her cronies walked to their table.  
  
  
  
"Shouldn't you be regenerating?" Riley shot at her. Heather rolled her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Outdated loser…"  
  
  
  
"Nothing wrong with going with the classics you air headed bimbo!" Liz stood, ready for a fight. It was not wise to insult Riley in front of her. The others pulled her back to her seat as Heather laughed.  
  
  
  
"Well this sure was fun, but I have to leave now before I get contaminated."  
  
  
  
"Oh we wouldn't want THAT," Helena muttered. Heather leaned down to be level with Helena's head.  
  
  
  
"Spoken like a true germ," she patted her shoulder before walking off, laughing with her 'friends'.  
  
  
  
As she did though, she sent Helena into her first premonition in twelve years. She saw Heather walking along the 'bridge' between the two sections of their school. Though they were constantly told not to stand too close to the edge Heather did it anyway. And in a sharp turn matched with swinging her backpack over her shoulder, she lost her balance and fell over the bridge in a rapid plummet to the ground. Helena broke out of the vision with the image of Heather's dead eyes staring up firmly printed in her mind.  
  
  
  
"Hey, you okay?" Allie asked. Breathing heavily, she looked up to see all at her table were staring.  
  
  
  
"I-I have to…" She got up and took off running.  
  
  
  
"Helena!" they called after her.  
  
  
  
She didn't stop though, just kept running, arriving at the bridge and realizing with slight horror that things were happening just as she'd seen them. Heather started falling. Helena hurried over and managed to grab her ankle.  
  
  
  
"Don't let go!" Heather screamed as Helena struggled to keep hold.  
  
  
  
"Just be glad I don't hate you enough to do that…" she muttered to herself as she pulled her up. People around stood watching, a couple of them helping Helena pull her up. They all fell back safely on the bridge. The gapers cheered and clapped.  
  
  
  
"T-Thanks…" Heather tried to catch her breath, and she sounded honestly nice. Helena gave a small nod and walked off. She went into the bathroom and promptly lost what little of her lunch she'd ingested before getting her vision. She splashed some water in her face and looked up into the mirror. She saw herself, but another person too… a witch… not so bad.  
  
  
  
After classes, Henry went to find Merilyn at the gym. Upon their return to San Francisco, he'd called and asked her out. They'd now been dating for almost four months. Before he could get to the gym though, his sisters intercepted him.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige is driving us home," Emily told him.  
  
  
  
"I think she's going to 'out' us to Dad," Charlotte continued. Henry looked back at the gym door, then turned back to the twins with a sigh.  
  
  
  
"Alright, let's go."  
  
  
  
When they got to the house, Jason was working in his office. "We need to talk," Paige told her brother-in-law. Later at dinner, everything was silent, save for forks, knives, chewing… Jason didn't appear to be taking the news of his children's powers being returned very well.  
  
  
  
An hour later, at the Manor, Helena talked with her mother about what had happened with Heather. "I just started running toward there, didn't… think, didn't…"  
  
  
  
"Relax Froggy, you did a good thing. You saved that girl's life." Helena smiled.  
  
  
  
"When I went to my locker after classes, I found an invitation to her Christmas party," she laughed.  
  
  
  
"Planning to go?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know… She's been calling me names and teasing me for years, but… It could be interesting to see how the other half lives…"  
  
  
  
"That's my girl," Paige nodded and Helena laughed again. The doorbell rang. "Can you get the girls to bed? I'll go see who it is."  
  
  
  
"Okay," Helena went to her sisters' room as Paige went down the stairs. She opened the door and came face to face with Henry and the twins, each lugging their backpacks and big gym bags.  
  
  
  
"What are you three doing here?" The twins moved past her.  
  
  
  
"You explain," Charlotte told her brother.  
  
  
  
"We're going to bed," Emily continued. They went upstairs. Paige turned back to her nephew.  
  
  
  
"We had a bit of an argument with our father, didn't want to stick around so we came here."  
  
  
  
"Does he know you're here?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, he does." He looked down.  
  
  
  
"Henry, look… He's not a bad guy, it's just… Losing your mom was really hard on him and the whole magic thing, well…" He nodded. "Just give him time, he'll adjust."  
  
  
  
"And what if he doesn't?"  
  
  
  
"Well… You're welcome here anytime," she hugged him. In certain moments, like this one, Henry reminded him of her sister. He didn't have to do anything, it just happened.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 15 2022  
  
  
  
"Hey Henry, can I come in?" Prue knocked on the attic door.  
  
  
  
"Sure." The three had been with them since that night. The next morning Jason had called to say he was going on a business trip for a month. The others worried about Henry and the twins, but they seemed fine.  
  
  
  
"I need your help with something," she sat across from him, Molly sleeping in the 'carrier' strapped to Prue.  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"I need your Augmenter abilities to tap into a power of mine…"  
  
  
  
"Alright," he agreed. She positioned herself, facing him.  
  
  
  
"Give me your hands," she instructed. He did so as she closed her eyes. She concentrated hard, starting to get dizzy even, until… "Yes." She let go of Henry's hands and orbed herself away with Molly.  
  
  
  
When she rematerialized, she was outside a house, by a lake. Sitting on the dock, a man sat looking up at the sunset. Even from the back, she knew it was him.  
  
  
  
"Dad…" she spoke slowly. He looked back at her. He hadn't aged yet at the same time he looked older than she'd ever seen him… tired. He looked at her and she could swear he was crying. Then he looked back toward the lake.  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone plain, not angry.  
  
  
  
"Came looking for you, what else?"  
  
  
  
"How…"  
  
  
  
"How did I find you? That's not important. Neither is the fact that I even had to look for you this way. What's important is the reason I came looking for you." Both were silent for a while.  
  
  
  
"What's that?" Leo finally asked.  
  
  
  
"Come home."  
  
  
  
"I can't," he immediately responded.  
  
  
  
"Yes you can…"  
  
  
  
"Not after so long…"  
  
  
  
"Who is there going to be to be angry or anything of the sort? I told you, I'm not mad… And you obviously still have your powers, so the Elders aren't an issue either. Dad, please…"  
  
  
  
"I don't think I can." Prue felt Molly had awakened. She walked up the dock and sat next to her father.  
  
  
  
"If you won't do it for me, then do it for your granddaughter." He looked up, then over at the little witch, blinking up at him.  
  
  
  
"I… I didn't know you were…"  
  
  
  
"You wouldn't, hiding back here." She took the baby out of her carrier and handed her over. He seemed uncomfortable at first, but he got the hang of it eventually. "Her name's Molly."  
  
  
  
"Molly…" he repeated, a small smile wrestling itself free from the years of grief amounted in him.  
  
  
  
"You were really good to me when I was little… and I want her to have that too. Please come back to San Francisco." He continued to look at his granddaughter. After a few seconds, he looked up at Prue. He reached out his free arm and hugged his daughter. Both began to cry. "I've thought about this day for so long…"  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, the three of them orbed back to the manor. Paige came in from the kitchen as Helena, Simon, and the twins observed the newcomer with curiosity. When Paige saw him, she stopped in her tracks.  
  
  
  
"Leo?"  
  
  
  
"Hello…" was all he could say, remembering the last she spoke… shouted to him.  
  
  
  
"I don't believe it…"  
  
  
  
"Please don't be mad…" Prue asked her Aunt, fearing the worst.  
  
  
  
"I'm not mad, I just… need to sit down," she did just that. Prue smiled to her father.  
  
  
  
"See? Nothing to worry about."  
  
  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
  
  
"Welcome home Dad."  
  
TBC 


	15. Ep 2 Charmed Once More

piper+leo4eva - Well, no, not really, seeing as I wrote that chapter moooonths ago ;) I'm presently writing chapter 23 :D  
  
Chub - Here comes the answer to your question from chapter 9 or something :D It's in the first big paragraph (the one that's a 'speech' from Leo ;))  
  
---  
  
November 22nd 2022  
  
  
  
Prue stood outside the living room, watching her father play with her daughter. After his arrival at the Manor, it was decided that for now he'd stay in Prue's old room. It had been kept intact in the past years since she'd moved out. It served as a guestroom when needed. Leo still didn't quite look recovered from his 'exile', but being around his family was slowly starting to pay off.  
  
  
  
"She's crazy about you already, you know?" Leo looked up as Prue came to sit with him.  
  
  
  
"Brings back memories," he smiled at his daughter.  
  
  
  
"I can't call you 'Dad' in public…"  
  
  
  
"Unless I make myself look older…"  
  
  
  
"Wouldn't that be a little complicated?"  
  
  
  
"Maybe."  
  
  
  
"Uncle it is," she smiled and he laughed. "You were at my graduation, weren't you?" He nodded. "It really meant a lot to me."  
  
  
  
"Sorry I couldn't be there more."  
  
  
  
"Hey, it's okay. I've had a good life these past years, despite all the bad. It was hard sometimes, but I got out of it okay."  
  
  
  
"You were lucky…" his face saddened.  
  
  
  
"The baby… my sister…" she nodded.  
  
  
  
"You know about that?" Leo looked at her.  
  
  
  
"We found out after…" She took her turn at looking down. "That's why you left, isn't it…"  
  
  
  
"I thought, just for a little… that I was able to keep you safe for always… my family. And then… a demon came. He took my wife, the woman I loved so much I'd do anything for her… and he took your sister… our second miracle we never thought we'd get. And he almost got you… I thought that camp was dangerous for you because all the others were much bigger than you but your mother insisted you'd be fine. If she hadn't, you would have been home with her and…" He cried as Prue took in this revelation. "When I realized it… I was afraid for your safety, your life… So I made up my mind… to leave. In the hands of your Aunt Paige, you'd be okay. And I was right," he looked at her, his eyes blurry with tears.  
  
  
  
"Dad…" she hugged him. "Everything will be okay now, I promise. You won't have to leave ever again."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Elsewhere in San Francisco  
  
  
  
"So the rumors are true?"  
  
  
  
"Yes Master."  
  
  
  
"Very good… And even better, they're young… children. Eliminating them won't be a problem."  
  
  
  
"We have brought the girl, Master."  
  
  
  
"Is she dead?"  
  
  
  
"No Master, simply unconscious. Would you like her killed?"  
  
  
  
"No! I need her alive! Imbecile!"  
  
  
  
"Forgive me Master."  
  
  
  
"Yes, of course. Now leave us. I need some time with our guest, if I want to become her…"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 23rd 2022  
  
  
  
"She what?" Kansas asked Helena as the group sat at their usual table.  
  
  
  
"She invited me to her party."  
  
  
  
"You're not going, right?" Liz asked.  
  
  
  
"Well…"  
  
  
  
"You can't be serious!"  
  
  
  
"Liz, let me finish? I thought we could all go. See what their side is like. I mean aren't you at least a little bit curious?"  
  
  
  
"She probably only invited you," Simon pointed out.  
  
  
  
"True. But… it doesn't say anything about not bringing you," she grinned.  
  
  
  
On the grounds, where other students ate sitting on the grass or benches, Henry and Merilyn had lunch with friends Shana, and George Daniels. Shana and George were a couple as new as the other two, and like them they were very much in love. Although where Henry and Merilyn were very private about it, Shana and George were more the opposite. As Henry and Merilyn chatted and ate, the other two fed each other, shared the occasional kiss…  
  
  
  
"I don't think they'd notice if we got mauled by bears right now," Henry commented.  
  
  
  
"I don't think they'd notice if they were the ones being mauled," Merilyn told him. He laughed. "So my parents are going to visit my grandmother in New York this week. I was thinking you could come by one night. We can have dinner, watch a movie or two…"  
  
  
  
"That sounds good," he nodded. He felt something fall next to him and he looked down. It was a piece of paper crumpled up in a ball.  
  
  
  
"What's that?" Merilyn asked. He flattened it and saw the words 'Look up' scribbled on it. He did as told and spotted one of his sisters, Emily as she usually had her hair up unlike Charlotte. She made big gestures of the 'come now' type. She looked worried, so he stood.  
  
  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
  
  
"Uh… bathroom." He ran off, up the stairs and to the bridge, where Emily waited. "What is it?"  
  
  
  
"We have a situation, Charlotte does anyway…" she grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward what he eventually saw was the girls' bathroom. Bryan guarded the door.  
  
  
  
"You better hurry, I don't think I can keep the people out much longer before the principal is called or something."  
  
  
  
"Is she in there?" he started to run in.  
  
  
  
"Henry be careful!" Emily called after him, but the thud told her she'd warned him too late. When she walked in herself, carefully, her brother was rubbing his head as he looked around in awe. Most of the room was covered in ice, glinting in the sunlight.  
  
  
  
"What happened here?" Henry stood.  
  
  
  
"It's my fault." He turned and found Charlotte sitting in the corner. At that moment, Paige orbed into the room.  
  
  
  
"Thanks for coming," said Emily.  
  
  
  
"You did the right thing, calling me." She looked around. "Although I didn't expect something like this so early on…"  
  
  
  
"What's going on?" Charlotte asked.  
  
  
  
"You have a new power," Paige approached her, smiling.  
  
  
  
"S-so… this is normal?" Charlotte asked, hopefully.  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Paige nodded. "How did it happen?" Charlotte thought back.  
  
  
  
"We were in here, and… we were talking about… something, and then I-I got angry and… I felt a chill running up my spine, down my arms… And then…" she pointed around herself.  
  
  
  
"I see."  
  
  
  
"But we have to get rid of it, or we'll get in trouble," Emily told her aunt.  
  
  
  
"I know. Go on, I'll take care of it and we'll talk more tonight. Charlotte, just… well, stay cool," she winked, making her niece smile.  
  
  
  
Later, in Helena's history class, she was absently doodling in her notebook. She was still listening to Mr. Robertson, but she was much more interested in the forming dragon on her sheet. Although when she heard the word 'assignment' she forced herself to pay attention.  
  
  
  
"This will be worth half your final grades, so I suggest you pay attention. You will be in teams of two…" There was cheering. "Which I'LL assign." Cheering ended. "Armstrong, Belland…" he started. Kansas and Simon exchanged satisfied looks. "Lyndsey… Matthews." Helena's eyes grew wide. She looked at Heather, who had lighter an annoyed look than she'd have expected.  
  
  
  
"Just great…" Helena muttered, tracing the curves of her dragon's wings.  
  
  
  
After classes were over, Helena grabbed her things and reminding herself over and over again that she couldn't afford to flunk the course, she went up to Heather.  
  
  
  
"Okay, we need to get through this without killing each other, so let's just be civil."  
  
  
  
"Alright. Your place."  
  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
  
"The library's gross and my house is a construction site right now. We're adding a new wing."  
  
  
  
"Your house has need for more room? Isn't it huge already? And what about your party, it's in two days, isn't it?"  
  
  
  
"Well as the revised invitation says, we're relocating. It's much better this way, no worries that things will disappear."  
  
  
  
"Let's go," Helena told Heather, continuing to remind herself she needed to get this.  
  
  
  
Taking Heather's car (with driver), they went off toward the Manor. The ride was silent once Helena had given her address to the driver. When they arrived, Cecilia ran up and into the arms of her eldest sister.  
  
  
  
"Guess what!" the eight-year-old squealed.  
  
  
  
"What?" Helena laughed.  
  
  
  
"We're going to the zoo! With school, we're going to see all the animals!"  
  
  
  
"That's great Birdy!" Cecilia looked at Heather.  
  
  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
  
  
"I'm Heather, who are you?" the girl asked, sounding downright normal.  
  
  
  
"Cecilia."  
  
  
  
"Well hello Cecilia," Heather shook her hand. "You're very pretty." The little blonde grinned.  
  
  
  
"Thanks!" Helena put her down and she ran off.  
  
  
  
"That was my little sister."  
  
  
  
"She's adorable," Heather smiled.  
  
  
  
"Uh, yeah…" Helena was getting majorly weirded out by this 'nice' side of Heather.  
  
  
  
"Is it just you, her, and Simon?" she asked as they went up the stairs.  
  
  
  
"I have another sister, Diana. And there's my cousin Prue's dad, my parents, and my cousins Henry, Emily, and Charlotte are staying with us right now."  
  
  
  
"Wow, that's a lot of people. How many bathrooms do you have?"  
  
  
  
"Two," Helena laughed despite herself as they walked into her room, then her side of the room.  
  
  
  
"Geez…"  
  
  
  
"Okay," Helena sat at the computer desk and started it. Mounted on wheels, the desk could be pushed to either half of the room, depending on who needed it. "I'll check the net for what we need to get started. You check the history book."  
  
  
  
"Alright."  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, Diana came in. "Len, can you help me?" Helena waved her over. She showed her the sheet she was holding. Helena helped her out with her problem. "Thanks," Diana smiled to her sister, then seeing Heather, "Hi."  
  
  
  
"Hey. You must be Diana." She nodded. "I'm Heather."  
  
  
  
"Hi," Diana nodded to her before leaving the room. The two girls continued work for fifteen minutes before…  
  
  
  
"Oh no!" Helena turned to Heather.  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"I completely forgot, I have to go pick up my dog at the vet's."  
  
  
  
"Alright, well we can continue tomorrow or something."  
  
  
  
"Deal. I'll let myself out." She took her things and walked out. Helena shook her head and turned back to the screen, continuing her reading.  
  
  
  
A minute later, she felt a slight breeze. It didn't bother her, so she once again looked back at the screen. Suddenly, she felt a small pinch on her head. Her hand shot to the spot, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She shrugged.  
  
  
  
Down on the front porch, Heather walked out the door as she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed through speed dial.  
  
  
  
"I've seen them. Everything is going according to plan." She looked down to her fingers, around her index were wrapped three strands of hair… one brown, one red, one blonde…  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
That night – Prue's home  
  
  
  
"Come on Molly, get back to sleep. I gave you a nice clean diaper and everything. You want to eat? A story? A lullaby? All of the above?" Out of the bedrooms came two of her three roommates. Keely and Caroline still looked half-asleep. "Oh, did I…"  
  
  
  
"You're lucky you're cute," Caroline sat next to Prue and smiled at Molly. "Want me to take her for a stroll? You go get a bit of shut-eye."  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Prue sighed happily, handing Molly over to her 'Aunt Car'.  
  
  
  
"No problem. Hi Babe! Hi!" she whispered to the little one. Prue smiled and followed Keely back to their room. Each got back to their beds. Keely had 'faced her fears' and taken the upper bunk during the pregnancy. Now it was back to normal.  
  
  
  
"Man, I'm exhausted…" Prue sighed as she settled. "I got a double-shift because Jeri was out sick. Remind me never to work those hours again, the crazies come out…"  
  
  
  
"It can't be that bad," Keely laughed.  
  
  
  
"Hey toots!" she called out in a booming voice. "If I hear that one more time I'm gonna scream!" Keely laughed again.  
  
  
  
"We'll just have to make sure Jeri never gets sick again."  
  
  
  
"Mm-mm…" Prue started falling asleep.  
  
  
  
"Night," Keely smiled.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Prue got up early to get Molly ready. Only when she looked at the crib, her daughter wasn't there.  
  
  
  
"Molly…" she gasped, scrambling for the door. When she got it open, she breathed a sigh of relief. Caroline sat snoozing on the couch, with Molly safely tucked in her arms. The baby slept as well. She picked up her little one and Caroline turned and resettled. "You don't scare me like that again and there'll be a shiny new car in the driveway on your sixteenth birthday, deal?" she whispered to her as she started to wake. "Morning," she kissed her forehead.  
  
  
  
Prue got to work, feeding Molly, bathing and dressing her before sitting down to read Stuart Little to her. Leo was coming to pick her up for a day out just the two of them. This gave Prue the opportunity for more sleep before she had to get to work.  
  
  
  
Leo arrived at 7:30. It was still slightly jarring to just see him there after all these years. It made a part of her want to be younger again. Be seven-years-old again and have picnics in the yard… watch the stars and invent stories about what those stars did all day. Looking back, it seemed almost silly. But he did it anyway… for her.  
  
  
  
But seeing him with Molly made it almost all better. He loved spending time with her, and Prue imagined he used to be like that with her too when she was a baby. Even if it didn't seem possible, Prue thought for sure she remembered some of these moments. Her mother and father, her aunts… or maybe it was just an illusion to comfort the little girl who'd lost so much… just figments of her imagination comforting her when she was sad. She didn't know for sure if it was real or not. But she chose to believe it was.  
  
  
  
"Hello Molly," he picked her up. "You're just the prettiest little thing, aren't you?" She smiled as much as she could, being only two weeks old.  
  
  
  
"Oh, I'm forgetting her hat!" Prue started looking around for it.  
  
  
  
"This one?" Leo asked, holding up a purple hat.  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Prue smiled. Leo put it on the baby.  
  
  
  
"There, all good to go," Prue picked her up.  
  
  
  
"Have a good day, okay?" she kissed her before handing her back. The two left and Prue sighed.  
  
  
  
She'd started working again two days ago. She knew she could have taken more time off before returning, but being alone bringing money in for Molly's needs, she went back early. Others had offered to help her out financially, but Prue wanted to do it on her own. It was just something she had to do.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Later that day, San Francisco  
  
  
  
"Is everything ready for tomorrow night?"  
  
  
  
"Almost, Master. The reception hall is being readied at this very moment. The new invitations have been sent out. Responses are coming in."  
  
  
  
"Perfect. You may yet live to see another day."  
  
  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
"Thank yourself. I couldn't care less if you became a pile of ash, but finding a good henchman is so hard these days."  
  
  
  
"I-If I may ask… What is it you want with these girls? They're children."  
  
  
  
"Yes, they are. This is why this is perfect. Children can be molded, changed. They can be turned from good… to evil."  
  
  
  
"But… why them?"  
  
  
  
"Honestly, I would think this is common knowledge. They are the daughters of one once Charmed… three sisters whom I believe will revive the threat of the Charmed Ones. That is… unless I have my way with them."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 24th 2022, afternoon – Chicago  
  
  
  
"That's a wonderful idea! You can count me in," Sherry spoke into the phone as a cloud of orbs formed across the room and left behind someone she hadn't expected with this mode of transportation in many years.  
  
  
  
"Hi Grandma," Helena smiled, looking very satisfied with herself.  
  
  
  
"I'll call you back," Sherry hung up the phone and stood. "Helena? But… how?" she was almost crying.  
  
  
  
"Orbing! You know, it's starting to come back to me," she grinned.  
  
  
  
"You have your powers back?" Helena nodded. "Oh honey…" she hugged her granddaughter. "That's great, since when?"  
  
  
  
"About two weeks now. Mom suggested we take some time getting used to it before 'spreading the word', that's why we hadn't told you. Of course I didn't remember you were witches too until she told me, but it sort of makes sense now that I think about it… all those times you babysat me," Helena smiled.  
  
  
  
"So does this mean you'll be coming more often?"  
  
  
  
"I'd say that's a definite possibility," Helena nodded.  
  
  
  
"Good," Sherry nodded as well, trying not to cry. "We've missed having you around."  
  
  
  
"Same to you," Helena smiled, wiping away her grandmother's tears. Sherry laughed. "What?"  
  
  
  
"You remind me of your father, you know?"  
  
  
  
"Really?" Now it was her turn to cry.  
  
  
  
"Really," she wiped back.  
  
  
  
"Now that I know about the 'witch thing'… Would you tell me about him… as a witch, I mean…" They sat in the living room.  
  
  
  
"Oh he had trouble controlling his powers sometimes. But what he lacked there he made up in spells and potions. Your mother probably still has his box. You can ask her for it." Helena nodded, then…  
  
  
  
"He wasn't really killed on duty, was he?"  
  
  
  
"No," Sherry shook her head. Both were silent briefly.  
  
  
  
"Doesn't matter… He'll always be a hero to me." Sherry smiled and hugged her.  
  
  
  
"To all of us dear…"  
  
  
  
Later, Helena helped her grandmother with dinner as she told her about this and that. At the moment, she told of Heather's rescue.  
  
  
  
"I don't think I ever ran that fast. I lunged forward and grabbed on to her ankle just in time! The weight was pulling me forward, and for a second I thought I might fall over the edge too, but I held on and dug my feet into the ground as much as possible. And in the end I pulled her back up and she was okay. I… I sort of got sick after, but still it was such a rush!"  
  
  
  
"I'm very proud of you," Sherry laughed, energized by the girl's excitement.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she almost blushed. "Grandma?"  
  
  
  
"Yes?"  
  
  
  
"Ever get a weird feeling about something?"  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know, it's just that… Heather's been acting really weird these past couple days…"  
  
  
  
"Maybe she's actually nice and you don't know it…" Helena laughed lightly.  
  
  
  
"Maybe… I just get this feeling there's more to it than that…"  
  
  
  
"Well, you are precognitive. It could be your subconscious trying to tell you something. Trust your instincts, and they'll keep your aim true." Helena smiled.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
November 25th 2022  
  
  
  
"This room is bigger than my whole house!" Riley commented as the group walked into the reception hall.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe we're here," Liz looked around. "If she has the hounds released on us, I will chant a feverish 'I told you so'…"  
  
  
  
"Relax, okay? We'll be fine," Helena sighed as she looked around. She spotted Heather laughing her head off… arm-in-arm with Will. Heather spotted them and started walking their way. "Alright, here we go."  
  
  
  
"Helena, you're here! And… so is the rest of the crew…" She gave a little sound that sounded like a combination of 'yuck' and 'oh well'. "Well, snacks are that way, dance floor behind me. Dinner will be served at eight-thirty." With that, she walked off to greet some other people.  
  
  
  
"Okay, that was… weird," Allie commented.  
  
  
  
"Come on Riley, I want to dance!" Liz pulled him to the dance floor.  
  
  
  
"We'll go find a table," Simon told his sister, heading off with Allie and Kansas. That left Helena alone, and able to approach the snack tables where Will stood, filling himself a punch cup.  
  
  
  
"Think anyone's added anything to it yet?" she innocently spoke. He looked up at her and smiled that bright smile he had.  
  
  
  
"Hey. Wow… much different from your uniform," he commented. Helena was grateful for the low lighting, keeping her reddening cheeks appearing normal.  
  
  
  
"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."  
  
  
  
"I'm not much the suit type…" he shrugged.  
  
  
  
"Me too!" she jumped in a little too early. "I-I mean… with dresses…" She looked away briefly, eyes bugging out at her slip. Will simply smiled.  
  
  
  
"Well, you wear it well. And as for your first question, it's still safe. Here…" he handed her a cup, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge as their fingers brushed.  
  
  
  
"Cheers," she held up her cup. He smiled and struck her cup with his.  
  
  
  
When he did, she was hit by a premonition. She saw Heather on a bed. She was sleeping, or possibly unconscious. And then she saw another Heather, smirking down at the first. It ended there, leaving Helena very much confused. Will had a hand on her shoulder.  
  
  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. She looked down and saw the glass cup broken at her feet, its contents over both their shoes and the floor. The other people around them were looking at her. And across the room, she saw Heather. She looked right at her, arms crossed over her chest. It sent chills up Helena's spine.  
  
  
  
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I'll… I'll be right back." She went into the bathroom and took off her shoes, getting the water running. When she looked up, Heather was behind her. "Geez, you scared me," Helena breathed, turning to face her.  
  
  
  
"Sorry…" she spoke, frighteningly calm.  
  
  
  
"Hey, it's okay," Helena shrugged.  
  
  
  
"No… Sorry you're Charmed. Now I have to…" She hit her upside the head with great force, sending her landing across the room, unconscious. "I'll come back for you. First I need to get your sisters." She disappeared.  
  
  
  
Seconds later, Cara/Piper orbed in, kneeling by her fallen niece/charge. Helena started to wake as C/Piper finished healing the wounds on her forehead and back of her head.  
  
  
  
"W-Who are you?"  
  
  
  
"My name is Cara. I'm your Whitelighter."  
  
  
  
"Oh…" she sat up. Then she remembered. "My vision… two Heathers…"  
  
  
  
"I know. We need to get you home before it's too late," she helped her up.  
  
  
  
"Too late for what?" C/Piper took her hand and orbed to the manor.  
  
  
  
They arrived in the living room, where Paige and Glen were watching television. "Helena? Cara?" Paige stood.  
  
  
  
"Where are the girls?" Cara/Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"They're upstairs, sleeping. What's going on?" C/Piper and Helena started running up the stairs. "Helena!" Paige called as she and Glen took off after them.  
  
  
  
When they got to Diana and Cecilia's room, 'Heather' stood between their beds, arms outstretched. The girls hovered inches off the ground.  
  
  
  
"Hey let them go!" Helena shouted. 'Heather' looked at her.  
  
  
  
"Don't you ever stay unconscious?" she sighed. Henry and the twins came down from the attic. Spotting 'Heather' and the hovering girls, Charlotte's hands sprouted jets of water toward the 'fake', freezing her. The girls fell back to their beds, waking instantly.  
  
  
  
"Come here," Paige crouched, and her daughters ran into her arms. "Are you okay?" They nodded. There was a muffled laugh and all watched as 'Heather' broke out of her ice prison, changing back to her true form, that of an old woman. The girls held on tightly to their mother.  
  
  
  
"Who are you?" Helena asked. The woman laughed.  
  
  
  
"Until next time…" And she was gone.  
  
  
  
"Who was that? What did she want with us?" Diana asked her mother.  
  
  
  
"She was after me, too. She's been posing as Heather. I knew there was something about her… She attacked at the party, if Cara hadn't been there…"  
  
  
  
"But why?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"She… she said I was… Charmed." Paige looked at Helena, as she hugged the girls tighter.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
December 3rd 2022  
  
  
  
"How's Heather?" Paige asked Helena as the family walked down the street.  
  
  
  
"She doesn't remember a thing. But she thinks she went to the party."  
  
  
  
"Why would she release her?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
  
  
"I'm just glad you're okay, all of you. New Charmed Ones… my girls. I don't know how to feel about that."  
  
  
  
"We'll be okay, Mom. I promise," Helena insisted. Paige nodded, still unsure.  
  
  
  
"Where are we going anyway?" Emily piped in.  
  
  
  
"It's a surprise…" Prue told them with a grin, Molly sleeping in her arms.  
  
  
  
"Not even a little hint?" Charlotte tried, picking off little ice chips on her fingers. That had been a recurrent occurrence since the arrival of her new power.  
  
  
  
"Well, we're here so…" They stopped in front of a store. The windows were covered from inside.  
  
  
  
"I don't get it," Emily shrugged. Prue held a key chain up so they saw it before she opened the door. The place was still bare.  
  
  
  
"Still don't get it…" Charlotte looked around.  
  
  
  
"Welcome to the future site of Norwood's Magic Shop, San Francisco!" she spoke with a big smile.  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Well I've been running the idea around for a while, and I told Sherry about it last week. She helped me close the deal quick, paid for the place, and she'll help me get started!"  
  
  
  
"You?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I'm gonna run it!"  
  
  
  
"Are you sure?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"I don't want to be a waitress forever. And think about it, it'll be practical."  
  
  
  
"You are your mother's daughter," Paige laughed. Prue gave her a look. "How she was with the club sometimes…"  
  
  
  
"This is so cool!" Helena exclaimed.  
  
  
  
"Glad you think so, 'cause I'll need help sometimes." Helena bounced around.  
  
  
  
"Just make sure it doesn't hurt your school work. And that goes for all of you," Paige pointed around.  
  
  
  
"Deal," Prue smiled. 


	16. Ep 3 Exchange

February 13th 2023 – Norwood's San Francisco  
  
  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
  
  
"That's really good Len!" Prue looked at the sign her cousin had just finished painting.  
  
  
  
"When do we hang it up?"  
  
  
  
"When we open next week." Helena stood and started cleaning up what she'd laid out on the ground to work on the sign.  
  
  
  
In the past few months, all of them had been busy. Though there hadn't been any attacks, Paige knew that would all change eventually. The thought of that day arriving gave her nightmares more than once. She knew all too well that Charmed or not wasn't the distinction she'd thought it would be. She and her sisters had been powerful, yes… but indestructible, no. They were as vulnerable as anyone, if not more.  
  
  
  
But as much as she worried, the kids beamed with happiness and amazement at the things they could do. They were still learning about their powers and other witchly points. But still they loved it. No matter how short and/or how long ago their powers were bound, somehow it had stuck with them. And now they were absolutely comfortable in this development. They were at home with these feelings of familiarity called forth with these rediscoveries.  
  
  
  
Helena, Diana, and Cecilia were getting better and better when it came to orbing. The younger two were only able to travel within the manor, but just that was fine with them. Helena had gotten back into orbing like she'd never stopped. Premonitions were still slightly keeping her on edge, waiting for the next time she'd be jolted, but she was learning to deal with that fact. Diana was trying to get rid of the knee-jerk reaction in which she accidentally froze to replace it with more controlled usage, but that wasn't easy either. As for Cecilia, she didn't use the regular telekinesis yet, instead resorting to calling to objects and letting them orb to her. She could do that fine, so she preferred to stick with it.  
  
  
  
The twins were dealing with their powers, as well as the rift slowly growing between their father and Henry. They both had issues they refused to deal with, and the girls had grown tired of trying to change that, so they opted to let them deal with it on their own. Charlotte was dealing with her icy powers, learning to control them. Still she couldn't get the little ice chips to stop coming, and she was always cold to the touch. Emily had developed the opposite effect as they'd found out in early December that she had a new power as well. Where Charlotte could generate ice, Emily had fire. This was found out in a particularly messy science class. She'd gotten detention for her troubles, but she was too amazed to care. As for their psychic connection, they were now able to speak telepathically, though only to each other.  
  
  
  
The only part that remained hard to accept was having to keep it hidden from their friends and other non-magical people, lying to them when they had to. Cecilia was just glad for Reissy. The two had gone from strangers to best friends in an instant. And Diana helped Sierra deal with her powers and her father's departure.  
  
  
  
The shop was actually starting to look like a shop. The shelves, counters and tables were set up, being stocked. And Paige said she'd take care of the staff. After all, they couldn't work while they had school…  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
At this time – 2358 Parkway Lane  
  
  
  
In the 'classroom' of this very small school in the big Victorian house, the students and residents were attending to their own activities. If they weren't here, they were out in the yard or their room most of the time. They had no classes that day. This gave them time to relax, have fun with what they could do. The twelve students and their teacher were all witches. The students were from anywhere between fourteen and twenty years old. They were all friends, but that didn't stop the formation of 'sub-groups'. The three youngest were one group, the five eldest, and the four in between. That day, the elder students were lounging in the classroom.  
  
  
  
"Please? It's right on my bed!" Corinne Stanstead, 17, spoke pleadingly.  
  
  
  
"Why can't you go?" sighed Cree Hackett, 20.  
  
  
  
"I'm busy!" Corinne pointed to her notebook. "Please, please, please?" she made with the puppy eyes. Cree laughed.  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright…" She put down her sketch book and levitated toward the ceiling before passing right through it. A few seconds later, she passed through again and landed back in her chair. "Here," she handed Corinne the pencil case she'd retrieved.  
  
  
  
"Thank you!" The doorbell rang and Corinne stood. "I'll get it!" Cree shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I knew you would do that," she smirked.  
  
  
  
"Hello, can I help you?" Corinne greeted the woman on the porch.  
  
  
  
"My name is Paige, I'm looking for the… well, I guess 'principal'."  
  
  
  
"One sec," Corinne nodded before turning her head to the stairs. "Miss Desmond, can you come down?" she called.  
  
  
  
"Be right there!" A few seconds later, she arrived. "Paige, hi!"  
  
  
  
"Hi Caelin," she hugged her friend. They hadn't really seen each other much since the run in with Martin, memories too hard to bear sometimes, but they did speak from time to time. It was Caelin who'd called Paige when she found out about the shop, and from there Paige had had the idea she was about to propose.  
  
  
  
"Come on in," Caelin let Paige walk in. Corinne stood by and jumped a bit when Paige gasped, but calmed when she saw the cause.  
  
  
  
"Is that a… a Cheetah?" She looked at the feline by Corinne, who laughed.  
  
  
  
"No… that's a Lexa," Caelin told Paige, giving the Cheetah a look. It fell on its back legs, standing tall as it slowly took human form. Alexandra "Lexa" Snow, 19, smiled to Paige.  
  
  
  
"Sorry about that. I forget sometimes." Paige nodded. Cree joined the group, followed by two more girls, the Brandeis sisters, aged 19 and 18.  
  
  
  
"Paige, I'd like you to meet Corinne, Lexa, Cree, and Flora and Juliette… my daughters." She could see her friend counting something in her head. "Let's move into the yard," she told her friend.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
  
  
"When Martin first showed up, I… I was afraid for my family… Flora was two, Juliette was one… I sent them with their father to his parents' home. I didn't tell you about them because… Martin had no idea where my family had gone to and I wanted to keep it that way."  
  
  
  
"I understand."  
  
  
  
"After that… things with my husband started deteriorating and he left two years after. The girls still talk to and see him, we're friends now so… it's not so bad." Paige nodded. "What about you?"  
  
  
  
"Here…" she took out a picture and showed it to Caelin. The picture had been taken last Christmas, with all the kids, Paige and Glen. "Here's Helena, she's almost seventeen. Then there's Diana, who's ten, and Cecilia, who's eight. This is my son Simon, who's sixteen. He's my husband's son from his first marriage but… he's still my son."  
  
  
  
"I know what you mean. These kids… I see them all a bit like they're my own. They don't have any other family and with the secret they have, I wanted to help. So I opened the school twelve years ago. Here they don't have to hide what they are, they embrace it."  
  
  
  
"You were always a great helper," Paige smiled. Caelin nodded. "I have a proposition for you."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Alley behind Norwood's San Francisco  
  
  
  
Prue pulled on a large box filled with trash, getting it past the door. She threw back the dumpster's top and, checking for witnesses, she flew up, heaving the trash into the dumpster. She landed back and nodded to herself, satisfied.  
  
  
  
"Well that got the job done easily." She turned toward the voice and found a guy in his early twenties standing there.  
  
  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
  
  
"Well… I'm a demon…" he grinned. Prue quickly fell into a defensive stance. "Relax, I won't hurt you. If I wanted to, you'd know already." She kept her stance.  
  
  
  
"What do you want?" He sped up to her, grabbing her arm.  
  
  
  
"To pay a debt. Hang on tight!" He held out his other hand and a ripple formed, shining blue and causing a strong wind to kick up.  
  
  
  
"What?" she asked, a bit panicked. He didn't answer, instead running at the ripple, pulling her along. When they landed again, the man helped Prue stand.  
  
  
  
"Here you are." She pulled her arm away.  
  
  
  
"I don't know what your deal is, but you're going to regret it." She went to start off the ground… only it didn't happen. He smiled. She tried to read him… nothing. Orbing… not working. "What did you do to me?"  
  
  
  
"Nothing." He started walking toward the street.  
  
  
  
"You did too, you took my powers!"  
  
  
  
"I did not take your powers," he sighed.  
  
  
  
"Yes, you…" She stopped, getting a glimpse of her surroundings. "W-Where are we?"  
  
  
  
"Same place…" he leaned down to grab a stack of papers bound together. "… different time." She looked at the stack.  
  
  
  
"July 14 2010…" What that date was made Prue start to freak out. "N-No… That's not possible. This is a… a trick, it has to be."  
  
  
  
"It's not…" Cara/Piper walked up to them.  
  
  
  
"We're even now so… I don't run into you, and vice versa…"  
  
  
  
"I know," C/Piper nodded. The man walked back into the alley before disappearing in another ripple.  
  
  
  
"What's going on here?" Prue asked her mother. "Are we really…"  
  
  
  
"On the day before my death? We are."  
  
  
  
"But how? Why?"  
  
  
  
"I'll explain it all to you, but for now we have to hurry."  
  
  
  
*2023*  
  
  
  
"Has anyone seen Prue? She went to take out the garbage fifteen minutes ago and she hasn't come back yet," Helena asked the group. All shook their heads.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige's coming!" Emily called from the window.  
  
  
  
"Don't tell her, okay? Don't want to freak her out. I'll go check in the back." She went off toward the back door as Paige walked in, followed by Caelin and her elder students.  
  
  
  
"Hi Mom!" Cecilia waved from her seat at the table in the corner, where a sign had been posted announcing this was the place for readings by the Nicolae sisters. Paige waved back.  
  
  
  
"Wow… The place looks great," Caelin looked around.  
  
  
  
"The compliments really go to my niece Prue, she's…"  
  
  
  
"Been taken!" All turned to find a shaken Helena had returned.  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"A demon took Prue! In the alley, I had a-a premonition, demon took her!" On the counter, in her carrier, Molly started to cry. Helena sat in a nearby chair.  
  
  
  
"Did you see what he looked like?" Paige asked. Helena closed her eyes, trying to call the image back.  
  
  
  
"I-I'm not sure… I'd know him if I saw him…"  
  
  
  
"Alright let's go back home and we'll try to figure this out. Caelin, can you stay with them?"  
  
  
  
"Sure, no problem."  
  
  
  
"Good. Helena, let's go."  
  
  
  
*2010*  
  
  
  
"What are we doing here? Prue asked C/Piper as they walked into a shop.  
  
  
  
"We're getting something we need…"  
  
  
  
"Which is what? You haven't even told me why you had me kidnapped into another time!" Prue whispered. "Y-You want to stop your killing?" C/Piper tensed.  
  
  
  
"Not exactly," she changed her appearance with a wave of her hand.  
  
  
  
"Then what?" Before C/Piper could answer, a woman came to them.  
  
  
  
"Can I help you girls?" They turned and Prue froze. C/Piper didn't take notice.  
  
  
  
"Yes, I called about an hour ago about an item. I've come to pick it up." The woman nodded and went to lock the door. Prue gulped.  
  
  
  
"Miss Anderson?" the woman asked. Cara/Piper nodded. "Wait here," she indicated a table before walking off. Once they were alone…  
  
  
  
"Are you crazy?" Prue whispered/shrieked.  
  
  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
  
  
"What's wrong? That woman almost killed your nieces! Or… will…"  
  
  
  
"I know," C/Piper nodded.  
  
  
  
"You do?" Prue almost shrieked again.  
  
  
  
"Yes, but she doesn't. She's not evil yet, won't be for another three or four years. Right now she's just a regular, good, witch." Prue tried to understand this as the woman returned, carrying a box.  
  
  
  
"Here we are," she smiled, putting it down in front of C/Piper. She, in return, pulled out an envelope from her pocket.  
  
  
  
"And here you are." The woman counted the contents and nodded.  
  
  
  
"Pleasure doing business with you. Come again," she smiled once more. C/Piper took the box and pulled Prue out of the shop.  
  
  
  
"Will you please tell me what on Earth is going on here? The kidnapping, the face change, that box, the to-be-evil witch…"  
  
  
  
"Her name's Sarah. She's a charge of mine… my first. That is until she turned, of course." Prue could see sadness on her mother's face and her stomach cramped.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry…" C/Piper smiled.  
  
  
  
"It's okay. Come on, I've rented us a hotel room for the night."  
  
  
  
*2023*  
  
  
  
Paige and Helena orbed into the attic and Paige went to the book. "What else do you remember?" Helena sat on one of the beds.  
  
  
  
"There was a… I don't really know what it was…"  
  
  
  
"Can you describe it?" Helena closed her eyes.  
  
  
  
"Bright, kind of round, rippling… kind of like a funnel?"  
  
  
  
"Okay…" Paige started looking. A few minutes later, she stopped. "I think I have something…" She looked up and noticed Helena looked concerned, scared. "Hey… What's wrong?" Paige sat next to her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Is that how things are going to be from now on? People attacking us all the time?" she cried.  
  
  
  
"Honey… I know it can be scary at first, I know, I was there. But eventually you'll see… it's not all bad. And I won't let anything happen to you, or anyone. Never." Helena hugged her mother, relinquishing herself to her emotions.  
  
  
  
"Thanks Mom… Did you find him?"  
  
  
  
"No, but I think I found his portal." Helena looked confused. "Take a look." The two stood and went to the book.  
  
  
  
"That's it, that's the thing I saw," Helena nodded. "It says we can track him down with residue from his portal… the alley!"  
  
  
  
"Let's go."  
  
  
  
Back at the shop, the young witches were having a magical 'show and tell'. Cecilia laughed as Juliette did a little dance on the eight-year-old's hand… six inches tall. She pointed to the ground and Cecilia held her hand out. Juliette jumped off, regaining her regular height on the way.  
  
  
  
The show stopped when Paige and Helena came in, rushing for the back. "Did you find anything?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, sort of," Paige told him. The group followed him.  
  
  
  
In the alley, Helena kneeled at the spot where she'd seen the portal in her vision. The scorch line made it easier to find. Scratching at it with a pocket-knife, she gathered what she needed. Paige held out the potion they'd brewed before coming. Helena dropped the residue in.  
  
  
  
"You ready?" Paige asked, handing the bottle to her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Yeah…" she breathed before throwing it on the ground. There was a small explosion, and as the smoke cleared, Helena saw… "It's him!"  
  
  
  
*2010*  
  
  
  
C/Piper had left to 'fix something'. Prue sat in the hotel room, watching television shows she hadn't seen in years. But something still bugged her. Within just a few hours, her life, and the lives of the rest of her family would be changed forever… and she was just going to let it happen?  
  
  
  
She put on her shoes and ran out of the hotel. She had no money on her, no powers, so she started walking. It took an hour, but she finally arrived in front of the manor. She remembered that they had had a BBQ in the yard that night. So she walked along the side of the house, careful not to reveal herself just yet.  
  
  
  
As she got closer, she could hear the sound of children laughing. She saw Helena first, little four-year-old Froggy. She saw Henry, almost five, his two-year-old sisters teetering around him… and she saw herself, hovering around…  
  
  
  
"Mom…" she breathed. In fact they were all there… her mother and father, her aunts, her uncle… laughing as well as they watched the kids.  
  
  
  
"Prue…" She didn't look back, already knowing who it was.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry… I just…"  
  
  
  
"I know," C/Piper spoke calmly. Both watched together.  
  
  
  
"They're so happy… we were… I wish I could stop them from going through that."  
  
  
  
"I know you do honey," she started pulling her gently back toward the street. "But it's not that easy."  
  
  
  
"Why not?" she turned toward her. A ball flew out of the yard, bouncing, bouncing, and stopping a short distance from them. Little Prue came walking out of the yard. Older Prue looked at C/Piper then picked up the ball, holding it out to her younger self. "Here you go."  
  
  
  
"Thanks." The girl looked at Older Prue, her eyes squinting. "You look familiar…"  
  
  
  
"I get that a lot…" she smiled. "My mom used to…"  
  
  
  
"Why'd she stop?" C/Piper looked at O.Prue.  
  
  
  
"She… she died when I was a kid."  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry," said L.Prue. O.Prue crouched down to her eye level.  
  
  
  
"I'm okay now. It was scary at first… I still miss her very much, but I know that she's okay, and I have my family to support me, so I don't get so sad anymore. You know what I mean?"  
  
  
  
"I think so," L.Prue nodded.  
  
  
  
"Prue?" Piper called from the yard.  
  
  
  
"Coming!" L.Prue called back before turning to O.Prue and C/Piper. "I have to go."  
  
  
  
"It was very nice talking to you."  
  
  
  
"You too." O.Prue smiled. "Bye."  
  
  
  
"Bye." L.Prue ran back to the yard. O.Prue stood with a sigh. "Can we go back to the hotel?" she cried lightly.  
  
  
  
*2023*  
  
  
  
The demon looked around, recognizing his location. "I knew this would happen…" he muttered to himself.  
  
  
  
"Where's Prue?" Paige asked him. He didn't speak.  
  
  
  
"Where is she?" Helena asked, louder.  
  
  
  
"San Francisco," he smirked.  
  
  
  
"Charlotte!" Paige called. The blonde raised her hands. The demon started to speed away, but then stopped, even going in slow motion.  
  
  
  
"Do it!" They turned to see Corinne had a hand up, aimed at the guy. Charlotte did as told, icing him from the neck down. The group moved to face him.  
  
  
  
"Now… where is she?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"I wasn't asked for a roundtrip, okay? I did my job!"  
  
  
  
"Who hired you?" He grinned.  
  
  
  
"I'd think you'd know, she is one of your family's whitelighters." Paige threw the vanquishing potion.  
  
  
  
"He was lying, right?" Helena asked.  
  
  
  
"Lauren! Peter! Cara!" Paige called out. After a few seconds, they finally answered. Lauren/Phoebe and Peter/Eric orbed in. Paige looked like she was about to be sick. "Where's Cara?" she asked, unconcerned about her tone. The two whitelighters shared a look. "TELL ME!"  
  
  
  
*2010*  
  
  
  
The morning of July 15th rolled around, and Prue couldn't eat when Cara/Piper had breakfast sent up. "I know you're nervous about this," she told her daughter.  
  
  
  
"Considering I don't even know what we're going to do…"  
  
  
  
"You'll figure it out…" C/Piper opened the wooden box and took out a glass-like globe. She looked at the clock. "It's time." Prue closed her eyes and gave C/Piper her hand. They orbed to the manor, to Piper and Leo's room. Just a second later, Piper walked in. She stopped short when she saw Cara and a stranger standing there.  
  
  
  
"Cara? What are you doing here? Who's this?"  
  
  
  
"Piper, we're here to help you…" C/Piper spoke up, "We know about your baby." Piper's eyes went wide. "She's in danger."  
  
  
  
"What are you talking about? Who is this?"  
  
  
  
"There isn't much time, we have to do this now," Prue looked at C/Piper, "Whatever it is…"  
  
  
  
"Cara!" C/Piper called. Piper and Prue looked at her.  
  
  
  
C/P2010 orbed in. "I'm here. Let's do this."  
  
  
  
"What's happening?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"This will get confusing unless you just let me do this," C/P2023 spoke. All nodded, some with hesitation and confusion. C/P2023 held the globe in front of herself. She began to glow as though in mid-orbing. The glow slowly drained from her, into the globe. When that stopped, she faltered just slightly. She aimed the glowing globe at Piper. A ribbon of light started from the globe's aim, her mid-section, to the globe. It glowed brighter until it finally stopped its 'transfer'. "I'll see you later," C/P2023 handed the globe to Prue and orbed off with C/P2010. Piper and Prue looked at each other.  
  
  
  
"Who are you?" Piper asked. Before Prue could say anything, she felt herself pulling away… being pulled away.  
  
  
  
"No!" she kept her eyes on Piper, until she couldn't see her anymore…  
  
  
  
*2023*  
  
  
  
"Where's Cara?" Paige asked again. Lauren/Phoebe looked up.  
  
  
  
"She's back!" she whispered. She orbed off, returning seconds later, arm-in-arm with a tired-looking Cara/Piper.  
  
  
  
"Where's my niece?" Paige asked, almost charging at her.  
  
  
  
"She's… she's coming…"  
  
  
  
At that moment, Prue appeared, just in the spot where the ripple had been. All looked at her, and they looked more surprised than she'd have imagined. In fact, they weren't even looking at her anymore. Then she remembered the globe… and saw she wasn't holding it anymore. She looked behind herself, where the others were still looking. There stood a small brown-haired girl. There was something in her eyes, and Prue knew who she was.  
  
  
  
"Hey…" she crouched in front of the tiny one. "Do you know what's going on? Can… can you talk?"  
  
  
  
"No… and yes," she spoke slowly.  
  
  
  
"Do you know who I am?"  
  
  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
  
  
"Well… I'm… I'm your big sister, Prue."  
  
  
  
"Sister?" Prue nodded. The girl considered this, then threw her arms around Prue's neck. Prue cried, placing her arms around the small Halliwell. She stood, assuring she didn't drop her as she turned to the group.  
  
  
  
"How is this possible?" Paige observed her 'new' niece.  
  
  
  
"I made a trade…" C/Piper spoke up, "Her life allowed… for my wings. I'm not a whitelighter anymore."  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry if I said anything…" Paige cried, looking at C/Piper.  
  
  
  
"All forgotten," the now-human C/Piper smiled. She looked at Prue, sending a thought to her. She smiled and nodded.  
  
  
  
"Everyone… I'd like you to meet my little sister… Persia Halliwell." She looked at her. "You okay with that?"  
  
  
  
"I love it," she smiled brightly.  
  
  
  
"Great. Now there's someone I think YOU should meet."  
  
  
  
Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
Leo orbed in. "Prue, you're okay…" he went to hug his daughter. "I've been looking all over for you…"  
  
  
  
"Dad…" she pulled back. I need to show you someone…" She took his hand and walked him into the living room.  
  
  
  
"Hello," he smiled to the child sitting on the couch. "Who are you?"  
  
  
  
"Persia," she responded, looking at him. She stood and walked up to him. "Are you my Daddy?"  
  
  
  
"Uh…" he was thrown by the question.  
  
  
  
"He is." Leo looked up at his daughter. She nodded. He looked back at Persia.  
  
  
  
"It can't be…" his eyes watered.  
  
  
  
"It's hard to explain… personally I don't know all of it yet, but I'll tell you everything as soon as I do. All you need to know are these things… this is your daughter, my sister, Persia… and as a result of her presence… You're… back on the clock, as Helena, Diana, and Cecilia's whitelighter. You're the Charmed Ones' whitelighter… again."  
  
  
  
Leo looked at the girl, hugged her tight. He hadn't been this happy, looked like himself as much as now in a long time. 


	17. Ep 4 Deans Over Mountain

February 14 2023 – Prue's  
  
  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Prue asked her father as they watched Persia sleep on the couch.  
  
  
  
"It's for the best. I couldn't raise her, there would be too many questions we couldn't handle…" He placed the blanket he'd been holding. "She knows who I am, she's… she's here. It's more than I could hope for. And if her parents can't be the ones to raise her, who better than her big sister?" Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"I'll take good care of her. Count on it." He nodded. "So how does it feel? Having charges again?"  
  
  
  
"Good… frightening."  
  
  
  
"You'll do just fine, I know it."  
  
  
  
"You know… when your mother was here… I felt confidant that I could do almost anything. Without her… it seems all so different. What if I let them down?"  
  
  
  
"You won't," Prue took his hands. "You may not have Mom, but you have me, Persia, Molly… It'll be okay. It won't end like last time, I promise. Things happen for a reason, no matter if it's good or bad. I didn't understand that for a while. But getting Persia back here let me see that."  
  
  
  
"We may just learn from each other," Leo smiled. "I should go…" he sighed, standing. "I have charges again."  
  
  
  
"Have fun," she smiled, hugging him good luck. "She'll be okay," she reassured him, seeing how he looked at the sleeping witch.  
  
  
  
"I-I know," he smiled awkwardly before orbing off. Prue watched him go with a sigh. Having his long-gone daughter returned to him like this had been quite a shock, but it had soon been replaced by worry for her well-being, much the way she often worried for Molly.  
  
  
  
After they had returned Cara/Piper had told Prue more about what there was to know about Persia's 'revival'. She was four, eight years less than she would have been if she'd lived all this time. To make her twelve out of nowhere wasn't something They would have done. If she was only four, then details of her life were easier to give her and she wouldn't remember much anyway.  
  
  
  
The realization that she was now responsible for the upbringing of two children was just as panic-inducing as she would have imagined. With Molly it was one thing. But adding Persia changed everything. She was partly relieved due that Norah and Caroline had recently moved out due to a college transfer.  
  
Unexplained things were bound to happen, so with all 'in the dark' people gone, things could be more relaxed.  
  
  
  
About three hours later, as she put Molly down for her night's sleep, Prue heard the faint sound of bare tiny feet slowly walking across the tiles outside the room. Snapping the baby monitor to her belt, Prue walked out smiling.  
  
  
  
She found her 'new' sister wandering about looking around. She still wore the clothes she'd somehow been wearing when she appeared.  
  
  
  
"Hey, what are you doing up? You need to go to the bathroom?" Persia shook her head. "Are you hungry?" Persia shook her head. "Thirsty?" Persia shook her head. "I'm drawing a blank then," Prue sighed and smiled. Persia walked up to her as Prue crouched.  
  
  
  
"I had… bad dream…" the little one whispered, brown eyes shaking almost.  
  
  
  
"It's okay," Prue picked her up and moved back toward her room. She lied down on her bed, keeping Persia at her side. Pulling the covers up, she felt her sister calm down. "Everything's going to be fine, okay? I promise. Nothing bad will come."  
  
  
  
"Really?" Persia whispered.  
  
  
  
"Yeah. You can trust me… sis."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
At this time – Dean home (San Francisco)  
  
  
  
"I hate this," Charlotte sat on her bed, a large school book in her lap. She looked over at Emily's bed, where its occupant lied on her stomach with the exact same book in front of her, music blaring from her headphones. From downstairs, shouting could be heard. The Dean men were fighting… again.  
  
  
  
"What?" Emily asked, barely registering the sound, eyes still glued to her studies.  
  
  
  
"Nothing…" Charlotte sighed, getting up.  
  
  
  
The past months had been hard for all of them. Jason was still having trouble dealing with his children being magical again. Whether it showed or not, those who suffered most were the twins. They were happy about their powers, were glad for them. And with their father the only parent remaining in their young lives, naturally they would want to share it with him. Only if they did that, all they'd get would be grief. They didn't want their father going on with them the way he and Henry did. So, they kept quiet, alone.  
  
  
  
Charlotte went down to the kitchen, humming forcefully to herself to drown out the sound of the ongoing fight.  
  
  
  
The topics of these screaming matches had lost coherence long ago. It wasn't even directed at the magic anymore, though it did pop through from time to time. Not tonight though. Right now they were arguing over who'd finished the milk and forgot to throw out the empty carton.  
  
  
  
Charlotte's humming elevated in volume as the boys did the same. Grabbing her snack, she climbed back up to the second floor.  
  
  
  
"I swear, one day…" she muttered to herself as she walked into her room. Emily wasn't there, probably gone to the bathroom. Charlotte sat on her bed, looking down at the bowl of grapes in her hands. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. With a sigh she rose again, placing the bowl and her book on the desk in the corner. Returning to her bed, she turned off the lamp on her night table, Emily's lamp dim enough that it wouldn't bother or hamper either girls. Climbing under the covers she'd had for as long as she could remember… the ones her mother bought for her when she was two, with smiling stars. She didn't care what people might think, neither girls could part with their covers, as Emily had similar ones.  
  
  
  
She slept on her side, as she always did, facing her sister's bed and the window. It took some time looking there before she noticed something wasn't right. She squinted a bit, trying to identify what it was that had caught the moon's shine in such a way at the window. Eventually, curiosity made her get up.  
  
  
  
Slowly she padded toward the large window. The thing gleaming in moonlight revealed itself to be a line in the glass, a cut, pointing down. Charlotte reached out, seeing something liquid-like dripping from the crack. Touching it, the substance was sticky, slimy. Charlotte withdrew her hand quickly, cutting herself in the process.  
  
  
  
"Ouch!" she whimpered, looking at her hand. The cut ran across four fingers, blood running down into the palm of her hand, the window substance above the cut. She shakily reached for a towel resting on top of the clothes' hamper, wrapped it around her wounded hand with a wince.  
  
  
  
And then she realized Emily still hadn't returned. Surely by now she would have been back, if only because of her small cries, the pain. Before she could put further thought into it though, she was grabbed from behind, and all went dark in an instant.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning, Emily and Charlotte's room  
  
"Thanks for coming," Henry told Helena as they walked in.  
  
  
  
"You haven't even told me what's… going on?" she stopped as she saw the scene. "Em? Charlie?"  
  
  
  
"They're not here." Helena looked at her cousin, and he was as freaked out as she was.  
  
  
  
"Is that…"  
  
  
  
"Blood. On the window, the floor…"  
  
  
  
"This is bad. Does your dad know?"  
  
  
  
"Not yet. I was hoping you could give me something more to tell him."  
  
  
  
"Right," Helena nodded. She approached the window, dread forming in the pit of her stomach as she sidestepped a small patch of blood on the carpet. She reached up, her hand not even touching the glass before she was hit hard by a vision.  
  
  
  
In rapid succession, she saw the twins studying, the crack in the window, some sort of liquid, viscous substance leaking through. The substance took the form of a male demon before a gasping Emily. The next image featured the making of the blood stain on the carpet as Emily tried to run before she was hit on the head with some kind of blunt object the demon carried. Then the demon took its 'gelatin' form again, taking Emily with him, passing through the crack again. After that much the same happened with Charlotte.  
  
  
  
The vision ended and Helena lost her balance, falling back until Henry caught her. "T-Thanks." He helped her back up.  
  
  
  
"What did you see?" Helena looked at him just as…  
  
  
  
"What's going on here?"  
  
  
  
"H-hi Uncle Jason…" Helena gasped just a bit. He spotted the blood and his face paled.  
  
  
  
"Where are the girls?" he asked the two, almost shaking.  
  
  
  
"Dad… You might want to sit down," said Henry, Helena nodding along.  
  
  
  
"Where are the girls?" he repeated.  
  
  
  
"Really, just like… right here," Helena pulled out the desk chair for him.  
  
  
  
"Just… tell me." The cousins looked at each other. Helena nodded and Henry sighed.  
  
  
  
"They were… they were taken." Jason didn't move.  
  
  
  
"When?"  
  
  
  
"Last night," Helena provided.  
  
  
  
"I'm calling the police," Jason started for the phone.  
  
  
  
"And tell them what? That demons took them?"  
  
  
  
"Helena!" Henry went bug-eyed as she winced. Jason turned to them.  
  
  
  
"Demons…"  
  
  
  
"I… I…" Helena tried to backtrack.  
  
  
  
"Helena…" Jason looked at her. She nodded, defeated.  
  
"We should go to the manor. Aunt Paige will know what to do." Helena nodded. Jason looked at them, the room, a decision being fought over in his mind.  
  
  
  
"He doesn't want to go…" Helena realized, looking at her uncle. "Doesn't want to run to magic."  
  
  
  
"Dad, now isn't the time to be magic-hater guy! Em and Charlie are in danger!"  
  
  
  
"I know that…" Jason spoke slowly, anger building inside him over the conflict.  
  
  
  
"Then go." Jason and Henry looked at Helena. "To save them, you two go together."  
  
  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Henry gave his cousin a look that didn't appear all that cheerful.  
  
  
  
"Trust me, you guys need the bonding time. Call Peter, I'm sure he can get you the location or something."  
  
  
  
"Helena…" Henry started.  
  
  
  
"Would everybody just stop saying my name like that?" she huffed, then, "Peter!" A few seconds later, he appeared. "See you later," the girl smiled and left.  
  
  
  
"This is nuts, I'm not taking him!" Henry told Peter with a nod toward his father.  
  
  
  
"Helena's right. You do need it." Peter handed his charge a small bag before grabbing the Dean men's arms and orbing the three of them away. When they rematerialized, they were in a wooded area, near a mountain. Jason was disoriented for a few seconds, unused to orbing by now. "Everything you'll need is in there," Peter pointed to the bag in Henry's hands. "Good luck." And he was gone.  
  
  
  
"Come back!" Jason called out. Henry shook his head and opened the bag.  
  
  
  
"Potions, spells… instructions," he listed, pulling out that piece of paper. "I sensed them in this area. Couldn't find anything more precise. Magic must be guarding the area," he read. "Great."  
  
  
  
"Henry, this is insane."  
  
  
  
"No…" he looked at his father, "It's magic." He looked up at the mountains. "Let's go." Putting the instructions away, he pulled an object from the bag.  
  
  
  
"What's that?" he looked at the stone.  
  
  
  
"Trap finder."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Up the mountain, demon's lair  
  
  
  
"Wake up… Emily, please wake up…" Charlotte cried lightly. In the hours since she'd regained consciousness, none of her calls had managed to awaken her unconscious sister. Blood showed through the dressing a strange demon woman had placed on the wound on Emily's forehead. The same had been done to Charlotte's hands.  
  
  
  
"Uh…" suddenly came a low groan.  
  
  
  
"Em?" Charlotte smiled weakly. "Coming to?"  
  
  
  
"Huh…"  
  
  
  
"Come on, that's it."  
  
  
  
"Wha…"  
  
  
  
"Eyes open…" Charlotte instructed.  
  
  
  
"Nuh…"  
  
  
  
"Open 'em now, you hear me, Emily Cassandra Dean?"  
  
  
  
"Not… funny."  
  
  
  
"Wasn't trying to be." Emily's eyes finally fluttered. "Morning," Charlotte tried to be cheerful.  
  
  
  
"What… happened?" she blinked, trying to get her vision cleared up.  
  
  
  
"Demons, kidnapped us, we're stuck in… wherever it is we are," Charlotte looked around.  
  
  
  
"My head…" Emily winced.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, they hit you with something. You bled a lot."  
  
  
  
"Gonna… be sick."  
  
  
  
"Join the group."  
  
  
  
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"  
  
  
  
"Not exactly. I sort of… did it myself. That'll serve me right for being so curious."  
  
  
  
"But you're okay?"  
  
  
  
"I don't like my fingers right now, but I'm okay."  
  
  
  
"Can you freeze-smash your bindings?"  
  
  
  
"Hello, bad fingers! Can't do it. Can you send up a flame?" Before she could answer, "Scratch that, probably can't concentrate, right?" Emily nodded. "Either they got lucky, or…"  
  
  
  
"They knew how to incapacitate us," Emily finished.  
  
  
  
"This sucks. I'd rather be doing algebra, that's how much this sucks!"  
  
  
  
"We'll get out of here. I don't know how, but…"  
  
  
  
"Yeah. Unless Dad and Henry are too busy fighting to even notice we're gone…"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Back down the mountain  
  
  
  
"Slow down!" Jason called ahead to Henry.  
  
  
  
"We do that and they could be dead by the time we get there. You want to stop? Fine, but I'm going ahead." He started up the trail again, trap-finder in front of him. They'd thwarted three traps in the two hours they'd been walking and climbing.  
  
  
  
"Look, as much as I wish we were home right now, we have to find them."  
  
  
  
"All the while thinking about magic as the culprit."  
  
  
  
"And why shouldn't I?" After what it's done, what it's taken from us…" Henry turned.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe it. After all these years you still don't get it! Magic didn't take Mom, a demon did!"  
  
  
  
"And why was the demon there in the first place?"  
  
  
  
"You think magical beings are the only ones being targeted? That's why she fought, to protect them! I hate that she's gone! But I can get some comfort in the fact that what she did helped keep people alive."  
  
  
  
"I can't…" Jason started.  
  
  
  
"It's not okay that she's gone and it will never be. But it's not okay either for us kids to have to suffer for something we had no control over. We're proud to be witches, but you wouldn't know that because you just shut it out. It was different before. You were different before. If it wasn't for Prue, none of us three would ever know that. We want our father back, the one we had fun with. The one… the one we knew for sure loved us for who we were, not what we could do. The father we loved and who loved us back."  
  
  
  
All of this sank in, and Jason began to tremble at the realization of what he'd done to his children, the beautiful treasures given to him by his beloved Phoebe. Pieces of the past twelve years flew back to him, letting him see things he'd just brushed aside before. Even as their powers had lied dormant, he wouldn't look at them the same… and they'd seen it all.  
  
  
  
"Oh God… Henry, I…" he looked at his son with tears in his eyes. But before he could say more, the ground shook, breaking beneath his feet as he began to fall.  
  
  
  
"DAD!"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
At this time, Norwood's San Francisco  
  
  
  
"What's wrong sweetie?" Prue gently rocked her daughter in her arms. The little one hadn't stopped crying all morning, and Prue could sense something was different about her, though she couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, she thought of something. "Caelin, can you take over, here?" she indicated what she'd been working on.  
  
  
  
"Sure," she nodded. She was back again, now with all of her students. The opening was coming fast and they needed all the help they could get. Prue walked into the backroom with Molly. There boxes were sitting on shelves, bright labels in front of each of them.  
  
  
  
"Let's see," Prue looked for the box she was after, then finally… "Ah, here we go." Opening the box, she saw right away what she wanted. "Look Molly, isn't it pretty?" she held a crystal in front of the light dangling from the ceiling. It sent off bright light all around. Soon Molly stopped crying, looking up at the crystal. Prue had discovered her daughter seemed to like them, though she couldn't tell why.  
  
  
  
And then a few seconds later, all the lights went out. With the windows covered out front, the place was in total darkness. "Sorry!" came the voice of the younger students, Kris, who was psychokinetic.  
  
  
  
Before Prue could answer, something stopped her short. A dim light started to appear and soon she saw where it was coming from… Molly's hands. "What…" Prue gasped before smiling. "Molly… you have your first power! Is that why you were crying?" she kissed her forehead. The light returned and, after Molly batted them around a bit, her hands became normal again. "Guys…" Prue brought her back to the main area. After making Kris turn the lights off again, Prue was able to let them see for themselves.  
  
  
  
"Wow…" said Corinne as the lights were turned back on once again. Just then, Paige came walking in, her stride indicating there was nervousness in her.  
  
  
  
"Aunt Paige, what's wrong?" Prue asked, putting Molly in her carrier.  
  
  
  
"Have you spoken to Henry or either of the twins today?" she asked her niece.  
  
  
  
"No, why?"  
  
  
  
"Merilyn called our house. She said Henry wasn't at school, and she couldn't find his sisters, so she called their home. No one was there, then she called me. Did they say anything about going somewhere?"  
  
  
  
"Uh, no, I didn't hear anything. I haven't even talked to them in a few days. Do you think… do you think something's happened to them?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know. I tried reaching Jason, no luck there either…"  
  
  
  
"What about Peter? I mean, he is their whitelighter," Prue suggested. In some ways it was strange… talking about him, her aunt, and her mother, as though they were other people when she knew the truth.  
  
  
  
"Worth a try," Paige nodded.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
"Jason… Jason…"  
  
  
  
He started to awake, the voice calling his name was barely a distant echo to him.  
  
  
  
"Wake up…" the voice became clearer, but then it seemed impossible… it just couldn't be who he thought it was. As he opened his eyes, he saw the outline of a woman, dark brown hair falling in soft curls just below her shoulders. Her clothes were a light sky blue and she seemed to shine. As his eyes regained their focus, her face cleared up.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe…" he breathed. "How…" he cried.  
  
  
  
"Shh…" she smiled down at him. "It's okay."  
  
  
  
"I don't understand… Am I… Am I…"  
  
  
  
"Dead? No. That's me." He sat up, looking around and seeing he wasn't at the mountain anymore. Here there were clouds as far as he could see. Clouds, and Phoebe…  
  
  
  
"You… you're really… here?" She took his hand in hers, placed it on her face.  
  
  
  
"I'm here."  
  
  
  
"Phoebe…" he hugged her, crying harder now.  
  
  
  
"It's been forever, hasn't it? It feels like that…" she started crying as well. They didn't let go for some time, before he had to know.  
  
  
  
"What happened to me? Where are we?"  
  
  
  
"You fell. But you're okay, just… unconscious. When you reawaken, it will only have been seconds. As for where we are… well that could take a while." He left that subject alone, instead looking at her.  
  
  
  
"You're even more beautiful than I… remember." His eyes shook. "I try to remember… all of it… but bits and pieces escape me now. How much your smile could make me feel happy… The sound of you singing the kids to sleep… How I've missed you, Phoebe, there are just… no words."  
  
  
  
"I know. It's been just as awful for me. Only the fact that this would someday happen kept me going sometimes."  
  
  
  
For the next few hours, they just sat there, held each other. Neither wanted to let the other go. But they knew it would have to happen.  
  
  
  
"Will I see you again?" Jason asked.  
  
  
  
"Whenever it can be arranged," she nodded, still warmly within his arms, head on his shoulder.  
  
  
  
"And the kids?"  
  
  
  
"Them too. Count on it."  
  
  
  
"I don't want to go, Phoebe."  
  
  
  
"You have to. Just remember, I'm always with you. Don't forget what I told you."  
  
  
  
"I won't…"  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
On the mountain  
  
  
  
"DAD!" Henry ran down the path to his father, lying unconscious in a patch of grass. As he approached, he saw he was starting to wake up. "Dad, are you okay?" he skidded to a stop next to him.  
  
  
  
"I… I think I am," he assured his son as he was helped up.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
  
  
"I'll explain later, let's just find the girls." He started off and Henry followed. They hiked silently and efficiently for an hour more before the trap finder in Henry's hand shot out and embedded itself to a rock wall. "Another trap?" Jason asked.  
  
  
  
"No… I think we're here," Henry told him before reaching into the bag Peter had given him. "Stand back," he told his father before throwing something at the wall. Instantly it shattered and crumbled to the ground.  
  
  
  
"You ready for this?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"Just tell me what to do."  
  
  
  
"Find Em and Charlie. Protect them if any demons try to get to them," he handed him three bottles. "I'll take care of the rest."  
  
  
  
"Okay. Just… be careful." Henry nodded and they charged in. They made it to the "main area" before coming across a single demon. They spotted the girls right away, sitting on the ground, wounded and tied to poles, unguarded for the moment. Across the cave were four demons, three male and one female. Henry indicated for his father to try and sneak to the poles unnoticed. He got about halfway before…  
  
  
  
"Intruders!" The next events happened very quickly. Jason ran to the girls as Henry hurried to intercept the three demons who tried to go attack them.  
  
  
  
"Dad…" Charlotte whispered, barely awake.  
  
  
  
"It's okay, we'll get you out of here," he assured her, keeping an eye on both his daughters and his son. One of the demons, perhaps drawn over by their voices, broke from the pack and headed for them. Jason threw one of the bottles at him. The demon froze, iced.  
  
  
  
"H-hit…" Charlotte urged him on. Jason took a few seconds to understand what she meant. He punched at the frozen demon. He broke down into little shards on the ground.  
  
  
  
"Good job, Dad." Jason looked up as Henry walked over.  
  
  
  
"Where are…"  
  
  
  
"Took care of them. The woman got away though."  
  
  
  
"She wasn't mean to us," Emily assured her father.  
  
  
  
Jason looked at his children, hurt, tired, but with an underlying sense of pride, the very thing he'd ignored all those years. "Let's go home."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Dean home, that night  
  
  
  
"We're all fine, Aunt Paige, I swear," Emily insisted, laughing for emphasis.  
  
  
  
"Em, come on!" came her sister's call from the living room.  
  
  
  
"Oh, I gotta go! Bye!" She hung up and ran off to join her and Henry. The three of them had the occasional movie night, and after what they'd been through, it seemed well deserved. "Move over," Emily told her sister as she tried to sit.  
  
  
  
"I'm all injured, remember?" Charlotte refused to budge then finally moved when Emily reminded her she'd been healed hours ago. The three settled down and then…  
  
  
  
"Can I join you?"  
  
  
  
"Sure Dad. Scooch in," Charlotte smiled brightly. Jason joined them and for the first time in over a decade, the Dean family sat happy together. 


	18. Ep 5 Vivian's Enigma

February 21 2023 – Norwood's San Francisco  
  
  
  
"Congratulations," Henry walked up to his cousin, glass of what was probably root beer, knowing his tastes, in hand.  
  
  
  
"Thanks!" Prue laughed, looking around. A lot more people had shown up than she had imagined. There were the people she had expected, Caelin and her students, the Element Guardians, Ava and her daughters, and others. Then there were the Norwoods, other witches, Lauren, Peter… And then… there were the 'surprise guests', among which…  
  
  
  
"They're freaking me out…" Henry whispered, looking at a trio of leprechauns standing by the snack table.  
  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
  
"Ever since word got out I was an augmenter, everyone's trying to… get a hold of me… Them especially. Help me!" he whispered even lower. Prue laughed again.  
  
  
  
"Building yourself a fan base, uh?" she grinned.  
  
  
  
"Prue, come on."  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright. Tell you what. Go out, take a walk for a few minutes, I'll fix things here."  
  
  
  
"Thanks."  
  
  
  
"No problem," she smiled as he got his jacket and headed out. She wanted tonight's grand-opening party to go well, so that she could finally open the shop in the morning without too many worries. "Can we talk?" she approached the leprechauns.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Outside the shop  
  
  
  
Henry held his jacket tightly, the air chilled. He looked around to see if any of the other shops around were still open. The bookstore next door appeared to still be serving customers. He walked up to the window and looked at the display. He observed it a few seconds before turning to go in.  
  
  
  
Suddenly someone bumped into him. He turned to see who it was and came face to face with… a girl. She was about his age and she looked completely lost. Henry could sense it, something was going on with her.  
  
  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, staying in step with the lost girl.  
  
  
  
"I don't know…" she spoke, sounding almost scared.  
  
  
  
"Do you need help?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know…" she repeated, in the same tone.  
  
  
  
"I'm Henry. What's your name?" She turned to face him very slowly.  
  
  
  
"I don't know…" she intoned once again before losing consciousness, falling forward into his arms.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Merilyn walked to the large glass doors leading from her room to the small balcony. Someone was knocking very energetically on the doors, and she only recognized it as Henry's signal after it had been repeated four times.  
  
  
  
"What took you so long?" Henry asked as he was let in, carrying the unconscious girl in his arms.  
  
  
  
"Trying to make sense of your signal, that's what. Who's that?" Henry placed her down on the bed before turning to Merilyn.  
  
  
  
"Wish we knew… I need your help."  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"I need a lift to my aunt's house. Your house was close enough, but carrying her around over there will take too long, people will see us…"  
  
  
  
"Alright, go to the car," she gave him the keys without arguing, "I'll tell my parents… something. If I can't get away, after five minutes, just go, come get me for school in the morning."  
  
  
  
"Thanks," he kissed her before taking the girl again and carrying her outside.  
  
  
  
"Be careful."  
  
  
  
Shortly after, Henry and the girl arrived at the manor. She was still unconscious, so he carried her into the living room. He didn't want to pull Prue and the others from their fun evening, so he called and told them he'd been tired and went home.  
  
  
  
Henry sat in a nearby couch and waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, the girl began to stir, as though in the middle of a particularly horrible nightmare. Henry sat on his knees next to the couch, trying to calm the girl.  
  
  
  
"It's okay, you're safe… you're safe…" Her eyes snapped open as she gasped. "Don't be scared. Do you remember me? Meeting me on the street?" She nodded. "Good."  
  
  
  
"What's happening to me?" she cried, "I-I can't… can't remember a thing, I don't even know who I am!"  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, I'm gonna help you. Do you remember anything at all?"  
  
  
  
"No," she cried, "All I know is being in that street and now here…"  
  
  
  
"You have some cuts on you, nothing major, but I didn't want to do anything unless you said it was okay." She nodded. Alright. I'll be right back, I'll get the first-aid kit."  
  
  
  
"Okay." He went to get it from the downstairs bathroom. "My name is Henry Dean. We're in my aunt's house right now," he sat and got started. "I'm gonna need to find something to call you…" She seemed comfortable around him, which made things easier for both of them.  
  
  
  
"I… don't know how or why… I have a sort of… familiarity for some sound… vi… vi…" She was searching so hard he was afraid she would hurt herself.  
  
  
  
"Vivian?" he suggested.  
  
  
  
"Alright," she shrugged with a smile.  
  
  
  
"Nice to re-meet you, Viv." She laughed. "Are you hungry?" She nodded. "Alright, hang on. I'll be right back." He went into the kitchen. Vivian stood, looking around at the room, the pictures, Molly's toys for the Manor.  
  
  
  
"It was so much fun! All those people who came by…" Prue spoke as she walked in, careful not to wake Molly in her arms, or Cecilia in Helena's and Diana in Paige's.  
  
  
  
"You're very popular, I guess," Helena told her.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"It was a very interesting night to say the least," Glen told his niece as he held Persia in his arms. She hadn't fallen asleep and seemed ready to stay up all night. She may have been slightly 'in her own world' during her first few days, but now she was definitely starting to bloom.  
  
  
  
"And it's not over…" said Helena as they walked into the living room, finding there a girl they didn't know. She seemed a bit agitated by their presence.  
  
  
  
"Who are you?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"I guess I'm… Vivian… You're the people from the pictures," she looked back to the line of frames.  
  
  
  
"Did that make sense?" Glen asked.  
  
  
  
"Probably not," Vivian shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I realized I had no idea what you liked, so I went with a safe bet… chocolate pudding…" Henry walked back in at this point, arms laden with half a dozen pudding cups and two spoons. He stopped when he noticed they weren't alone. "Hey, how was the opening?"  
  
  
  
"What's going on? Who is this?" Paige asked. Henry stared intently at Prue, giving her the hint to read him. She did, enabling him to lay out the situation.  
  
  
  
"Let's… go put the kids down." Once the new arrivals had gone up the stairs, Prue got to explaining.  
  
  
  
"So Henry believes she's an innocent?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"He does, and so do I. I read her and… it was a blank, but I could feel something there, something trapped, and it was magical, no doubt about it."  
  
  
  
"What did she know that would have required that?" Helena wondered.  
  
  
  
"Leo!" Paige called up. Within seconds, he appeared. "We have a situation."  
  
  
  
"I know. The Elders told me what they knew."  
  
  
  
"Which is…"  
  
  
  
"That she's off-balance, something in her is. And, she's human. They're as curious as you are so they're looking too."  
  
  
  
"Elders can be curious?" started Helena. "So… do we tell her who we are? I mean, we'll be helping her, right?" she continued, after being met with odd glances on her previous question.  
  
  
  
"Helping but not telling, not yet at least," Leo informed his niece and charge before turning to her mother. "The Elders asked if you would put her up for the time it'll take."  
  
  
  
"Sure, no problem," Paige nodded after checking with Glen.  
  
  
  
"She can stay with me and Simon!" Helena offered cheerfully.  
  
  
  
Shortly after, Henry left, assuring Vivian she'd be safe. Simon was fast asleep, tired from running after his little sisters all night. The two girls talked for a while. As they'd lied down though…  
  
  
  
"Helena… There's something going on…"  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
  
"I think… I've been here before."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning  
  
  
  
Prue dressed Molly in one of her favorite outfits and, packing her and Persia in the backseat of her car, they headed off to the pediatrician's office. Molly had an appointment, and it wouldn't hurt to have Persia checked out. Over the years, her mother, her aunts, her cousins and herself had saved a lot of people, which made choosing this doctor a piece of cake. They had rescued Dr. Leahy about fifteen years ago.  
  
  
  
The three Halliwells sat in the waiting room filled with children and their parents. Persia busied herself making a picture for her sister as Prue attempted to calm a fussing Molly.  
  
  
  
"It's okay, sweetie, it's okay," she kept repeating.  
  
  
  
"First appointment?" She turned and saw the speaker had been the girl next to her, who was maybe three or four years older than Prue. In her lap was a similarly fussing baby girl.  
  
  
  
"No… and maybe that's why…"  
  
  
  
"Shots?" she guessed.  
  
  
  
"Uh-huh," Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"I figured as much. I'm Maria… Dawes."  
  
  
  
"Prue Halliwell," she shook her hand as best she could without either of them dropping their daughters.  
  
"This little honey here is Olivia. She's usually… just this agitated." Prue laughed.  
  
  
  
"And this is Molly. Down on the floor is my sister Persia." At the sound of her name, her head shot up. Maria smiled.  
  
  
  
"It's very nice to meet you all."  
  
  
  
"Pensen-Dawes, Olivia," the receptionist called a few minutes later. Prue and the girls got their turn shortly after. When they got out, they ran into Maria and Olivia again. Prue offered to give them a ride, as they lived only a few streets away from her aunt's. She was on her way there anyway.  
  
  
  
When she came in, she was immediately intercepted by Helena, who started dragging her up the stairs, past the living room where Vivian was watching television with Diana and Cecilia.  
  
  
  
"Len! Calm down!" as she tried to keep up. Once in the attic, she sat Persia down on a couch and placed Molly next to her. "What's going on?" she asked her Aunt and her father.  
  
  
  
"We found out more about Vivian," Leo explained. "It's not good, not completely."  
  
  
  
"What is it?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Last night Vivian told me she remembered being here before, in the manor," Helena explained.  
  
  
  
"And you didn't remember this?"  
  
  
  
"Well see that's the thing… It hasn't happened yet…" Helena continued.  
  
  
  
"What are you saying, she's from the…"  
  
  
  
"The future," Leo confirmed, "What we still don't know is how much."  
  
  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
  
  
"We don't know," Paige explained. "There are things to consider before we try anything."  
  
  
  
"Such as…"  
  
  
  
"Such as the circumstances. We can't do anything without knowing a lot more or we'd risk changing history in ways that would be too dangerous," Leo explained.  
  
"Then how are we supposed to find out anything about her?"  
  
  
  
"Well, hopefully she'll start remembering things, help us fill in the blanks. If not, the retrieval scenario might come into play," Helena told her cousin.  
  
  
  
"The what?"  
  
  
  
"If she does know us in the future, it's possible she's still in contact with us. If she is, we may have either had something to do with her trip back, or we could try to rectify that…" she went on.  
  
  
  
"Oh… Right, I get it," Prue nodded. "How's she doing?"  
  
  
  
"Frustrated more than anything. She wants to remember so bad, but it doesn't seem to come," Paige told Prue, feeling for Vivian and what she was going through.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Four months later – July 23rd 2023  
  
  
  
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Olivia!" Prue shook the hand of the 9 month-old in Maria's arms. Her friend did the same with Molly before hugging Prue. They walked to the door just as it opened. In walked Helena and Vivian. She saw Maria and Olivia, stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
  
  
"Hey! You must be Vivian." Much like on the night of her meeting with Henry, her eyes rolled up, and she fainted. Once they'd sent Maria on her way home, the cousins gathered around their guest, who'd been moved to the couch. She awoke fifteen minutes later, by which point Leo and Paige had been called over.  
  
  
  
"Hey, sleepyhead," Paige smiled at Vivian. "Are you okay?"  
  
  
  
"What happened?" she sat up, dazed.  
  
  
  
"You fainted again," Helena told her. It was the fourth time it happened. The second had been as she remembered being a dancer, a ballerina. The next time, she'd passed by a diner and taken another dive to the pavement. They didn't know what it was about, and it didn't help make Vivian feel any better.  
  
  
  
"I… the woman, she… she was…" She squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
  
  
"It's okay," Prue assured her.  
  
  
  
"Would you like any…" Helena asked, patting her 'roomie' on the shoulder. She was greeted with a premonition. What she saw didn't quite make sense… Vivian, Maria, a little girl who kind of looked like a younger Vivian, hugging an older Maria… When she broke free, everyone was staring at her. "I need to talk to you, pronto!" she told her aunt and uncle before walking off into the kitchen.  
  
  
  
"Helena, what's going on?" Paige asked her daughter.  
  
  
  
"I know who she is!"  
  
  
  
"Who?" Leo asked.  
  
  
  
"Vivian!"  
  
  
  
"How?"  
  
  
  
"Premonition…"  
  
  
  
"So… who is she?"  
  
  
  
"Olivia!"  
  
  
  
"What?" Paige and Leo asked at once.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure?" Paige asked.  
  
  
  
"Positive, and it kinda makes sense. I mean, she arrived in the past on the day before Prue met Maria. She must play a part in this…"  
  
  
  
"I'll go check with the Elders, see if they can get more out of this," Leo orbed out.  
  
  
  
"She'll be so happy," Helena started telling her mother, somehow already knowing what her answer would be. "But we can't tell her, can we?"  
  
  
  
"Not yet," Paige confirmed. Helena nodded.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
One month later – August 23rd 2023  
  
  
  
After Leo's visit to the Elders, it had been established that Vivian/Olivia wasn't to be told who she was. Their own knowledge was still limited, and they knew that until they knew more about why she was there it was better to keep their knowledge between Paige, Glen, Leo, Prue, Helena, Simon, and Henry. 'Vivian' was doing as well as one could expect. She'd grown very close to her 'surrogate family' of nearly half a year now. Her mind was still mostly a blank other than what she'd accumulated in her time with the Halliwells.  
  
  
  
Now the school year was coming around and Paige wondered how much longer it would be before 'Vivian' would get a resolution to her situation. It wasn't that she wanted her gone, far from that. But she hated seeing the girl in pain over not knowing who she was, not to mention hiding the demon battles was becoming harder and harder. As it turned out, her wish was about to get a boost in the right direction.  
  
  
  
They'd been noticing the continuous presence of someone watching them from a distance for two days now. Whether it was a man or a woman was still unknown, as their observer remained in the shadows. He or she seemed to know where they would be time and time again. Finally, they decided to force an introduction, and a vanquish if necessary.  
  
  
  
They went to NSF (Norwood's San Francisco), sending Caelin and the Nicolae twins home, Prue taking over the register, with Helena, Henry, Paige and Leo hiding in the back. Although, as their observer knew their every move, even this attempt at exposure was known, so…  
  
  
  
A person entered the shop, wearing a large jacket, a cap, and sunglasses. The brown hair, cut below the chin, and what they could see of the face, seemed to indicate it was a girl. She went up to a shelf and started looking at boxes of herbs.  
  
  
  
"Can I help you?" Prue went around the counter. The girl shook her head. "How about you help me." She didn't look up, though she was acknowledging it. "Why are you following us? I know it's you." The girl started reaching inside her jacket. Thinking fast, she grabbed her arm to bring it back into view. In that motion, the two fell to the ground, side by side.  
  
  
  
"Prue!" Helena called, as she and the others came to the rescue.  
  
  
  
"Who are you? Why are you after her?" Henry asked. The girl threw out her hand and a blinding light erupted from it. The others stood back, shielding their eyes. When the light stopped, the girl had moved back as well.  
  
  
  
"I'm not AFTER her," she took off her cap and pushed her sunglasses on her head. "I've been trying to find her for almost a week, after she came here. It was an accident."  
  
  
  
"Who are you?" Paige asked. The girl smiled, the answer being so hard to say.  
  
  
  
"I'm the one who made the stain there on the carpet, under the table leg," she nodded her head toward it.  
  
  
  
"Didn't…" Henry started as Prue stood, staring at the girl, searching for proof or denial of what the girl's statement had told her.  
  
  
  
"Molly…" Even as she said it, she knew it was true… those eyes…  
  
  
  
"Hi," she smiled, ignoring the surprised looks to cut to the chase, "We need to talk about Olivia…" A few minutes later, she did just that. "I was chasing after this demon who 'does his evil' sending minions back in time to change one moment in a person's life."  
  
  
  
"Why her?" Helena asked.  
  
  
  
"I'm getting to that. The demon succeeded, and he turned her life upside down, preventing her from one day becoming someone the lead guys would have problems with. For some reason, Olivia and I held on to some part of the truth. Olivia tried to go after the demon, but he got to her and… when I found her, she didn't remember a thing. Then… she got scared and ran off. I'm not sure what happened but I found her again as the demon pushed her in a portal. He jumped in after her, and they disappeared. Once we found her, I came here to get her back home before she got into trouble."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"She's right. If she finds her memory again… she'll try to fix things and that's bound to go bad," Helena nodded.  
  
  
  
"She can't see me…" Molly pointed out.  
  
  
  
"Could give her a massive memory jog," Paige agreed.  
  
  
  
"Right, so let's avoid that," Molly removed her jacket, "I need to brew a potion so I can get her back home safely."  
  
  
  
"Shouldn't we maybe try to stop the demon from changing things?" Helena asked.  
  
  
  
"Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to do that, Olivia's my best friend. But if we were to change things wrong…"  
  
  
  
"It could change something that shouldn't be changed," Leo completed for his granddaughter.  
  
  
  
"Exactly," Molly nodded.  
  
  
  
"What did he do to her?" Henry asked. The phone rang, and the look on Molly's face wasn't comforting. Prue went to answer.  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
  
  
"Prue? There's someone in my house…" she whispered, frightened.  
  
  
  
"Maria… Alright, don't worry, I'm on my way!" she hung up and turned to her daughter. "Molly, make the potion, I'm going over there."  
  
  
  
"Be careful," she nodded. Prue orbed off.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
At the Manor  
  
  
  
'Vivian' sat on the couch, watching television with Diana, Cecilia, and Glen. Suddenly, her head started to spin. She hunched over, her hands on her head.  
  
  
  
"Are you okay?" Glen asked her. Just as suddenly as she'd been struck by it, she stopped. She looked up slowly, shocked.  
  
  
  
"Oh no…" She stood and ran out, into the hall and out the door.  
  
  
  
"Vivian!" Glen called after her. He couldn't leave the girls alone. He picked up the phone and dialed for NSF.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Pensen-Dawes Home  
  
  
  
Prue got to the door. The knob and surrounding wood had been ripped off, so she could only push it forward. She walked in, careful yet frightened. Her fright was warranted as she went into the living room, finding Olivia's grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Dawes, dead on the floor. She started up toward the second floor. At the top of the stairs there was Olivia's father, Elliot Pensen, also dead. She could hear voices coming from Olivia's room. She rushed in just as the demon took hold of Maria, and unceremoniously snapped her neck.  
  
  
  
"Maria!" she cried out despite herself. The demon looked at her with a sinister smirk. "You don't scare me," she muttered angrily, tears streaming down her face.  
  
  
  
"I'll make this quick."  
  
  
  
"No, I will," Prue told him, rushing at him and letting free that rage she used to have in her first few years of demon fighting. She struck until he finally fell and she used the knife she'd packed on before leaving for NSF earlier to stab him. He exploded in a cloud of smoking ash.  
  
  
  
Prue, breathing heavily, looking down to her friend lying on the ground. She wiped at the still streaming tears and looked back to the crib. Little Olivia had slept through it all.  
  
  
  
"NO!" a scream came from below. She hurried off toward the door, knowing all too well who had just walked in on the gruesome scene. But Olivia had already gotten up the stairs, another scream telling her she'd found her father as well. She tried to stop her from seeing Maria, but she managed to get a glimpse before Prue could pull her back.  
  
  
  
"Olivia, listen to me…"  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you stop him?" she cried, trying to wrestle herself free.  
  
  
  
"I know what this feels like, I've been there…" A light behind her brought Molly in. She rushed at the pair and, pulling Olivia's head back, she uncorked the bottle in her pocket.  
  
  
  
"It's okay Olivia. We're going home," she poured the potion down her friend's throat, closed her mouth so she wouldn't spit.  
  
"Doubled memories  
  
Make them one,  
  
Original memories  
  
Make them gone."  
  
  
  
Right as the last words left Molly's mouth, Olivia went numb and fell back in her friend's arms. "What happens now?" Prue asked. Molly looked at her.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning – Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
"She won't remember her other life?" Prue asked Molly as they went up to the attic.  
  
  
  
"It's better this way," she nodded. They stopped at the top of the stairs. "You'll be fine, Mom." Prue gave her a look. "I know how it worries you, raising me, and Persia, and now Olivia. But you'll be fine, I promise." Prue smiled, and they went in.  
  
  
  
Olivia stood watching hers and Molly's younger selves. "It's so weird," she smiled at Helena.  
  
  
  
"Time to go," Molly told her.  
  
  
  
"Okay," Olivia nodded. Helena, Diana, and Cecilia stood together.  
  
  
  
"A time for everything,  
  
And to everything its place.  
  
Return what has been moved,  
  
Through time and space."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
A few days later  
  
  
  
After the funeral, Prue took 'her girls' back home. She found out, through the two letters handed to her from Maria's family's lawyer. Both had been delivered to him in a rush by Maria a week earlier. The first was from Molly.  
  
  
  
She explained that she'd gone to Maria, made it so she would stipulate Prue was to get custody of Olivia. The second was from Maria. It brought tears to her again, its end… "I know what's coming for me, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare me. But I know Olivia will have a good life, and that makes it enough that I can face this. Take care of yourself, Prue. I'm glad I had you in my life."  
  
  
  
Henry, Helena, Simon, and Merilyn were sharing the apartment next door to Prue, Keely, and the girls. They were starting college, and although the separation had been tough, knowing they'd have the others so close by was oddly reassuring.  
  
  
  
Changing the infants out of their dresses, she took them to the nursery, placed them in the playpen. She watched them for a while.  
  
  
  
"It's an interesting family you've become part of, Olivia. I wish you could have had your own, but… No matter what, I promise you… You'll never feel like you don't belong here. Finding the balance between your families might be hard for a while. We'll find it though. They may have changed your destiny in some way, but I'll try to make it happen anyway. Just wait and see." 


	19. Ep 6 Enemy's Face

January 9th 2024 – The College  
  
  
  
"I'm going to tell her," Henry told Helena and Simon as they walked in.  
  
  
  
"Tell what?" Simon asked.  
  
  
  
"Tell who?" Helena asked.  
  
  
  
"About our secret and Merilyn," he answered accordingly.  
  
  
  
"What?" was the join response.  
  
  
  
"Are you crazy?" Helena demanded of her cousin.  
  
  
  
"Never been so sane. Look, after all these years, I think it's time."  
  
  
  
"Fine, but don't come crying to us when it all goes very, very wrong!" Helena told him as all three headed into different directions, toward different classes. Henry was studying languages, something they imagined had to do with the constant relocations of his childhood. Simon, after much consideration, had opted for journalism. As for Helena, she had yet to decide, so other classes populated her schedule.  
  
  
  
Distracted as ever, Helena started fishing around in her bag, looking for her next class' room number. Before long, she collided with someone, sending her belongings to the ground. "Just great," she sighed and crouched.  
  
  
  
"Let me help you," the bumpee crouched as well.  
  
  
  
"Thanks," she looked up at him and, "Will!" She saw people had turned to stare at her, so she lowered her voice. "What are you doing here? Are you a student here?"  
  
  
  
"Just recently," he nodded.  
  
  
  
"I thought you were going to school in Florida."  
  
  
  
"I was," he nodded again. "My mother isn't doing too good so I transferred here." Will's father had died when Will was nine. His mother had raised him on her own after, but became ill almost two years ago. Her son only went to Florida because she wouldn't let him be held back on her account.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that. If there's ever anything I can do to help…"  
  
  
  
"Thanks," he smiled, though he was obviously hurting. "So where are you heading now?"  
  
  
  
"Uh, English, Professor Bergen, in room… well I don't know what room," she blushed.  
  
  
  
"Well, you're in luck. That's where I'm going."  
  
  
  
"Really?" He nodded. She bounced around inwardly, outwardly cool as a cucumber. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Elsewhere, Simon walked into the library's computer center. The place had a strange yet inviting energy about it, and Simon loved to be there. His class had been cancelled at the last minute, so he came to do research for a project.  
  
  
  
"Excuse me, but are you in my cinema class?" He looked up, finding a red-headed girl standing there with a shy smile.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I think so. Can I help you with anything?"  
  
  
  
"Well, I just started here, everybody's got a major head-start on me, so I've been looking for someone who could help me catch up… You seemed like the person to see."  
  
  
  
"Have a seat," he nodded and smiled.  
  
  
  
"Thank you so much. I'm Roxane, by the way, Roxane Shealy."  
  
  
  
"Simon Belland, pleasure to meet you," he shook her hand. She smiled. "Just moved to San Francisco?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, we've lived in Vermont since I was born…"  
  
  
  
"Big change," he concluded.  
  
  
  
"Huge," she agreed.  
  
  
  
"How do you like it so far?"  
  
  
  
"I'm using a map to find my house and the college everyday, so… We couldn't find a dorm room, so I have to make the travel."  
  
  
  
"Well, after I catch you up with class, I can catch you up with the city. I've lived here most of my life."  
  
  
  
"Great," Roxane smiled. Simon smiled back.  
  
  
  
"So look, it's pretty simple." He explained the assignment to her, and soon she had it figured out enough. "There. You should do okay now," he smiled.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, thank you. Well, I should go. But, uh, we'll have to get together sometime for that tour."  
  
  
  
"Count on it," he nodded.  
  
  
  
"Okay. Well… bye." She stood and started walking off. Simon looked after her, and later he would be so glad he'd done it. As she swung her bag over her shoulder, her shirt rode up a bit, long enough for him to see some strange bruises. He'd seen something like that before, he was positive.  
  
  
  
**August 30th 2013, Schoolyard**  
  
  
  
"Come on, Simon, it's my turn!" Helena squealed as she ran after him laughing.  
  
  
  
"One more!" he insisted, holding a blue ball. She stopped running after him, which was as good a signal as the 6-year-old needed from his 7-year-old stepsister. He threw the ball in the air, spun around a few times, then tipsily caught it, before dropping it. Helena laughed and went to get it. The ball had landed at the feet of a woman, whom they recognized as the substitute for their class.  
  
  
  
"Hello, Ms. Matthews," the woman greeted Helena.  
  
  
  
"H-hi," she responded. The woman spooked her.  
  
  
  
"Could you come and give me a hand with the snacks?" It was customary for one of the kids to do that, so she didn't see anything wrong with it.  
  
  
  
"A-alright." Helena followed her and Simon watched them go at first. But being as curious as he was, he was soon to follow. As he got nearer, he could hear little high-pitched squeals which he knew could only belong to one person.  
  
  
  
"Helena!" he ran around the corner, screaming at what he saw. His sister sat cowering in a corner, trying to get as far as possible but having little space to work with. Standing over her, the teacher appeared to be transforming into someone else, and she was rippling with darkness as she did. She held a hand toward Helena, who held her own arms in front of herself as a shield. When she heard the scream, the woman turned toward Simon, letting him see her true face before disappearing. Simon rushed to Helena, crying and arms shaking where deep marks had been left from whatever the woman had done. "It's okay, she's gone."  
  
  
  
Neither of them had told anyone about this incident, figuring they'd write it off to children's imagination and a game gone wrong. The secret was theirs, and hidden so deep within their memories that they'd seemed to have forgotten it now.  
  
  
  
**Present**  
  
  
  
But now he remembered, and he knew he'd seen that woman again, once. It wasn't long ago either. It was about a year ago, when she'd attempted to take his young sisters right from their bedroom. He felt anger rise in him at the thought of this woman who'd terrorized each of his sisters before now going after this girl. Almost without any input from his conscious mind, a plan formed.  
  
  
  
"Roxane?" She turned back to him.  
  
  
  
"Yes?"  
  
  
  
"How about tomorrow morning?" She smiled.  
  
  
  
"Alright, I'm in. Where do you want to meet?"  
  
  
  
"1329 Prescott Street."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
That afternoon, Norwood's San Francisco  
  
  
  
"Thank you, come again," Prue smiled as she handed her customer her change. The woman nodded and headed out. Prue turned to Molly, who was teetering around with Olivia in the playpen. "Hey girls, how are we doing here?" she crouched down.  
  
  
  
She couldn't believe Molly was already one year old. She wondered where Nate was now, if he thought about them a lot, or at all… She wondered if, had he known how beautiful and perfect their child was, maybe he'd come back… or would have never left. But she had to keep hope that he would someday return to them. It was the only way for her not to cry every night.  
  
  
  
The chimes above the door brought her back to reality and she straightened herself up to face her customer. When she saw who it was, she relaxed back to 'non-customer mode'.  
  
  
  
"Mom…" She looked a lot stronger than she had the last time she saw her, which was almost a year ago. Prue understood that after what she'd been through, becoming human again but still with the face of her whitelighter counterpart, she would need some time to rebuild herself. Prue dealt with it knowing that at least she was still around, somewhere. Though seeing her again felt really good. Apparently, Molly felt the same way, as she stood by the front of the pen and pushed a happy little 'dooo!' out, signal for 'Hello!!'.  
  
  
  
"Hi honey. Sorry it took so long."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry about it. How are you doing?"  
  
  
  
"I'm okay. I got an apartment, a job, and… I'm back in school," she smiled.  
  
  
  
"What?" Prue laughed.  
  
  
  
"Well hey, I'm 19 again, why not?"  
  
  
  
"What are you studying?"  
  
  
  
"Uh, medicine. 65 years as a whitelighter kind of made me get in touch with my healer side." Prue laughed again.  
  
  
  
"Well I'm very happy for you."  
  
  
  
"Now I know I'm technically younger than you so it'll sound odd, but… Could I hold my granddaughter?"  
  
  
  
"Sure," Prue smiled, picking up Molly and placing her in Piper's arms.  
  
  
  
"Hey! Hi Molly! Hi!" she beamed at the little witch, sending a jolt of pride in the young mother's heart. "Does she have powers yet?" Prue nodded, still all proud. "Wanna show Gran?" Piper asked the brown-haired live joy. Molly was happy to comply, waving her arm up, leaving behind a trail of light. "Look at you, like a pro!" she kissed her tiny cheeks.  
  
  
  
"Mom," Prue asked her, serious now. "Are you ever going to tell them who you are… who you were? You, aunt Phoebe, uncle Eric… It's just not fair for the others not to get to know."  
  
  
  
"I know, sweetheart." Piper put Molly back in the pen with Olivia. "But it was part of the agreement when we were sent back in our whitelighter personas. Who we were… it has to be a secret."  
  
  
  
"What about me? I know."  
  
  
  
"That was an accident, it's different. It could end badly if we just up and revealed ourselves. We would want nothing more than being back with you all, but it's not that simple."  
  
  
  
"If you're going to have secret talks, one tip." Both turned at the sound of the voice. "Make sure the door is locked."  
  
  
  
"Henry…" She had completely forgotten about his coming. Apparently he needed her for something magical. "How… how much did you hear?"  
  
  
  
"Enough. So… Mom's here? It's Lauren, isn't it?"  
  
  
  
"Henry, don't be mad."  
  
  
  
"I'm not mad, C… Aunt Piper. Just a bit… confused." He looked baffled, too.  
  
  
  
"Oh honey…" Piper hugged her nephew.  
  
  
  
"Can I see her?" he pleaded with her.  
  
  
  
"She's overseas with a charge today, but… I'll tell her to come see you," she nodded. He breathed.  
  
  
  
"Just as well. I have something else to do." Piper gave him an inquisitive look just as the bells announced a new presence. Merilyn had just walked in, and she seemed puzzled.  
  
  
  
"We'll leave you two alone. If you need me, we'll be in the back. Prue and Piper grabbed the girls and left.  
  
  
  
"Thanks for coming," Henry told her.  
  
  
  
"Sure, no problem. Though I have to admit I'm having a little trouble understanding why you wanted to meet at a… I'm guessing magic shop?"  
  
  
  
"You're guessing right." His resolve was fading, he had to keep talking or he'd chicken out. "Mer… What I'm about to tell you is gonna sound really strange, but I swear every word of it is true alright?"  
  
  
  
"Sure… I trust you."  
  
  
  
"And I trust you too, I still have to ask you though to promise you'll never tell anyone about it."  
  
  
  
"I promise. Henry, what's going on?" He took a few more deep breaths, grabbed her hands, looked right into her eyes, and…"  
  
  
  
"I'm a witch." She stared at him for a while, then started saying something before stopping and looking in his eyes again.  
  
  
  
"Oh my God… you really are. B-but how…"  
  
  
  
"My mother was one. My aunts, my cousin, most of my mother's family… they have powers, and I do too, but not really. Call me a magical extra car battery." She appeared to be taking in all this information. "I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I had to wait, to make sure…"  
  
  
  
"I'm really glad you did," she hugged him.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
The next morning – Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
"Simon, what's going on? Why did you want us all here?" Paige asked as she sat on one of the living room's couches. Others who had been "summoned" were Prue, Helena, Henry, Emily, Charlotte, and the three whitelighters, Leo, Lauren, and Peter, along with Cara. Jason was overseas and Glen was out with Diana and Cecilia.  
  
  
  
"It's complicated, but you'll understand it soon." Barely a few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Simon rushed to answer. "Hey, you made it!"  
  
  
  
"Yes, I did. I'm feeling pretty darn proud of myself right now," Roxane beamed.  
  
  
  
"Well I'm glad you're here." And then his expression turned serious. "Although I have to admit I misled you."  
  
  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked as she followed him into the living room.  
  
  
  
"I asked you here to help you." Now the 'summoned' understood. Roxane was being cautious herself.  
  
  
  
"H-help me with what?"  
  
  
  
"Those scars on your back. I know where they came from and how you got them. Which is how I know we're just the people you need to get you out of that trouble." Roxane seemed to be considering whether to leave or stay. Finally she took off her jacket and sat down.  
  
  
  
"It's nothing," she insisted.  
  
  
  
"Anyone else might have written it off as something else, but not us." Roxane sighed, looking down at her hands at first as she began telling her tale.  
  
  
  
"It started about a week ago, maybe two. There's… this woman… She'd been watching me, I kept seeing her but at first I don't think I realized it as much. She never approached me until t-three days ago." She got uneasy as she went on. "I was coming home and she-she was waiting there, sitting on the bench. She said she was from the college and she needed to talk to me about my course load. I thought there'd be someone present by then, so I invited her in. She… closed the door, and then…" Her face scrunched up. "I could feel something… it hurt… But then, my father came home, from the back. When I turned, she was gone. I went into the bathroom, locked the door. I didn't want him to see me all freaked out. If he hadn't come when he did though, I…" She stopped talking abruptly, and Simon took her hand, sitting next to her.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, we'll help you," Paige reassured the girl before turning to her son. "How did you say you knew these scars?" Simon wondered if it was going to hurt his friendship with Helena to reveal this secret he'd promised her never to reveal. But it had to be done, no way around it now.  
  
  
  
"We ran into the person who inflicted them."  
  
  
  
"Who did?" Paige asked. Another pause, then…  
  
  
  
"Helena and I." The girl looked up, wondering what he was talking about. She'd repressed it too, he supposed. Simon looked to Roxane, and she seemed to understand what he was getting at. She stood, turning slowly before lifting the back of her shirt. Helena saw the scars and Simon could see the memory return in her eyes. She shuddered and crossed her arms low in front of herself with fists closed.  
  
  
  
"Helena?" Paige looked to her daughter, seeing the posture of anguish set in. The girl looked to her mother and shakily nodded. "When did this happen?" Paige looked to the two of them. Helena answered, in a low voice.  
  
  
  
"T-ten years ago."  
  
"We both seem to have forgotten it, but it's back now – and we know who this woman is," Simon explained as Helena shrunk back into her seat. "I need one of you to, uh… the Book." The fact he couldn't touch it had been very mystifying to him as a kid.  
  
  
  
"I'll get it," Helena stood and headed for the stairs. Simon followed. Up in the attic, Helena went to the Book and opened it, knowing all too well what they were looking for. Simon stood at the door.  
  
  
  
"Sorry for just springing this on you."  
  
  
  
"It's alright. It needed to come out eventually."  
  
  
  
"I just… I know how much it affected you – even if you tried to hide it from everyone." Helena remained quiet, paging through. "I need to know you'll be okay, Len." She looked up at him with a nod.  
  
  
  
"I will be, once we've vanquished her." She turned the Book toward him. "Found her – Sarah Spring."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Somewhere in San Francisco  
  
  
  
"Winn! WINN!" came the bellow of the angry witch. Into the room came stumbling the short frail demon woman.  
  
  
  
"Y-yes mistress," she stood before her.  
  
  
  
"Did you find her?" Winn cringed as she nodded. "Well?"  
  
  
  
"S-she's… she's…"  
  
  
  
"Well go on, say it!"  
  
  
  
"She's with the Charmed Ones." Almost knowingly, she ducked as an object was thrown across the room, shattering on the wall and sprinkling down to the floor.  
  
  
  
"Do they know anything?"  
  
  
  
"Not yet mistress."  
  
  
  
"Let's try to keep it that way."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Back at the manor – Attic  
  
  
  
Henry had retreated to the room a few minutes before. It used to be his room when he and his sisters stayed over, though now he was left to care for his sisters at home when his father was away so it wasn't needed. Still he felt comfortable here.  
  
  
  
**June 12th 2010, Attic**  
  
  
  
Four-year-old Henry sat on his knees, hunched over a small spot in the corner. In his tiny hand was gripped a red crayon. He'd run out of paper and that was when he'd had the marvelous idea of leaving his mark on this place by scribbling down his name. He'd decided on the spot there and got to work.  
  
  
  
"What are you working on?" He jumped a bit, turning and sitting on the scribbles as he looked up at his mother.  
  
  
  
"Nothing," he assured her.  
  
  
  
"Really?" Phoebe smiled, leaning down to pick up her son, who offered no resistance. She looked to the red marks forming the letters 'HEN'. The boy dug his head down. Phoebe laughed. She put him down and picked up the crayon, placing it in his hand. "Two more letters." He smiled and got back to work. When he was done, he stood back. Phoebe picked up a blue crayon and traced her own name next to his. He looked at her, puzzled. "It'll be our little secret, alright?" The boy threw his arms around her neck. "Just promise you'll use paper from now on."  
  
  
  
**  
  
  
  
Henry pushed at a dresser until it stood off of the two crayon names. He crouched down, cautiously reaching out to touch them. His silent reflection was interrupted by the sound of the floorboards cracking, indicating someone had entered. He stood back up and turned, finding himself face to face with the one he now knew was in fact his mother.  
  
  
  
"Hello… Mom." She was almost crying, he could tell from the look on her face. It may have been another person's face, but there was no denying who hide behind these features.  
  
  
  
"There's so much I want to tell you. Starting with… I'm sorry I couldn't tell you who I was before. There were so many times I wanted to."  
  
  
  
"It's okay… Mom. I understand. I mean, sure, some part of me is a bit angry, but what do you expect?" There was a brief silence. "But it's okay. I promise."  
  
  
  
"Honey…" Phoebe opened her arms and Henry gladly hugged her arms and Henry gladly hugged her. "You're a great person, all I could have hoped in a son. I'm sorry I wasn't there for most of it," she told him as he pulled back.  
  
  
  
"Thank you," he smiled. The two came to look at the names in the corner before Henry placed the dresser back. That was barely done when Helena came running in.  
  
  
  
"You better come downstairs. There's a development."  
  
  
  
"What kind of development?" Henry asked.  
  
  
  
"The kind where we know why they're after Roxane."  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Downstairs  
  
  
  
"It was fifty-three years ago… 1970… But I'm remembering now, I should have known all along," C/Piper explained as the others sat around her. "I'd been Sarah's whitelighter for two years. She was ten. Her parents were having problems. Her father was having an affair and her mother found out. One night though… He left, supposedly to run off with his mistress. They were found the next morning, dead. No one really knew what happened, if he'd killed her and killed himself, if it was the other way around, or if they'd both been murdered. That may have been one thing. But then a week later, Sarah's mother committed suicide. She was sent to an orphanage. Over the years, it became clear in her mind, no matter if she was sure it was true or not, that it was all the mistress' fault she had no more family. So she swore revenge for her parents, whichever way would present itself. That vow turned her to evil in the end. I feel sorry for losing her like that but that doesn't mean I'll let her follow through here."  
  
  
  
"I still don't understand what this has to do with Roxane," Simon spoke up.  
  
  
  
"Mr. Spring's mistress – her name was Angela Kingsley." Roxane looked up.  
  
  
  
"That's my great-grandmother! People always said I looked… just like her…" her face blanched as it all suddenly started to make sense.  
  
  
  
"So Sarah is looking to get her revenge through her?" Simon guessed.  
  
  
  
"Yes. But she must not know…" C/Piper started.  
  
  
  
"Know what?" Prue asked. C/Piper looked at Roxane.  
  
  
  
"Angela was a muse." As expected, this drew surprised noises from the people gathered. "She'd been a mortal's muse, given form. She never told him what she was, I imagine. They had a child, Roxane's grandmother. She married a mortal and had a daughter as well. And when she married, that brought Roxane."  
  
  
  
"Generations removed… Is Roxane a muse?" Emily asked, looking at the girl.  
  
  
  
"Not purely, no. She may be a very creative person, even inspire a hint of it in others."  
  
  
  
Before anymore could be spoken, there was a strangely audible slithering sound. Roxane spotted the puddle moving across the ground first, letting out a small scream as she huddled into the couch. The others stood at the ready as the puddle began to rise into form, that of the old demon woman the twins had known on their abduction.  
  
  
  
"Do not make this harder than it has to be. Give me the girl." Her words were not mean, instead dripping with fear.  
  
  
  
"Winn, what are you doing here? You work for her now?" Charlotte spoke up.  
  
  
  
"Yes, Miss. Miss Sarah took me in. Now, the girl…" she reached out a shaking hand.  
  
  
  
"You're not taking her!" Simon stood in front of Roxane.  
  
  
  
"I don't want to hurt anyone. But if I don't bring her back it'll all be over for me!" the demon woman started crying messily.  
  
  
  
"Alright, alright, hang on. I have an idea," Paige spoke up.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Sarah's lair, minutes later  
  
  
  
"What's this? Why do you bring me two? I didn't ask for this boy."  
  
  
  
"H-he wouldn't get out of the way, mistress. So I-I took him too," Winn bowed her head. Sarah observed him.  
  
  
  
"Well, I wouldn't mind something to look at. Very well. Now go, you have chores."  
  
  
  
"Yes Mistress!" And the woman ran off. Sarah turned on the two young people.  
  
  
  
"So you're here at last. I've been wanting to do this since before you were born…" She turned to go to a cabinet. With her back turned, it was time to put the plan in motion.  
  
  
  
"Do you remember what she told you to do?" he whispered to Roxane.  
  
  
  
"Yes," she whispered back, taking his hand as she squeezed her eyes shut, focusing with all her might, accessing parts of herself she'd never known were there.  
  
  
  
Before them, Sarah suddenly stopped looking through the cabinet, standing still as though she were in a trance. And then she looked back at the two, disappearing for a second, then returning. Her face was a mix of shock and resignation.  
  
  
  
"He killed her…" She cried lightly before her face regained composure. "You may go. But next time we cross paths, I won't be so lenient, understood?" He nodded. She waved her hand and the two disappeared.  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
  
Halliwell Manor  
  
  
  
Henry and Roxane appeared in the living room, startling the others, who'd been waiting nervously. Barely two seconds after they'd materialized, Roxane's eyes wavered and she lost consciousness, falling back in Henry's arms.  
  
  
  
"What happened?" Simon asked as he helped lower the one-eighth muse to the couch.  
  
  
  
"It's over. She did it. I think it was just draining for her, being the first time she ever did anything with whatever power she has. She'll be alright," Henry assured his cousin.  
  
  
  
"What happened with Sarah?" C/Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"I think she realized her anger had been misplaced all those years. She let us go."  
  
  
  
"What'll happen to her now?" Emily asked, looking at Roxane, still out.  
  
  
  
"It's all up to her, I guess. If she wants to 'get in touch with her inner muse' we'll be there to help her through it," Paige explained.  
  
  
  
"I think she will, I could feel it when I gave her the augmenter shot," Henry followed.  
  
  
  
"Well then we'll help her."  
  
  
  
"I'll get her something for when she wakes up," Simon went off to the kitchen. Helena watched him go and smiled.  
  
  
  
"What is it?" Prue asked her cousin.  
  
  
  
"Nothing," Helena assured her, deciding to keep her insight into her brother's feelings private for his sake. A little later, Henry went to talk with his aunt Paige.  
  
  
  
"I told Merilyn about us." Paige observed him.  
  
  
  
"I trust you with the secret. If you feel she's also trustworthy, then I'll believe you."  
  
  
  
"Thank you," he smiled, turning and walking away before he could speak his mother's secret as well. 


	20. Ep 7 LifeHolders

Since I'm not sure if I'll be able to come on tomorrow, I've decided to go ahead and post Chapter 20 now instead of tomorrow. :) Enjoy!  
  
----  
  
June 17th 2024  
  
"Are you okay?" Prue helped her aunt up.  
  
"Yes, you go help them!" she struggled up to a sitting position. A premonition courtesy of Helena had led to the impromptu demon hunt. Hours away from Emily and Charlotte's "Double Sweet Sixteen" birthday party, it made for rushed properly dressed Prue, Helena, and Paige to hand over shopping duties to the twins' friends, and Diana and Cecilia who insisted on coming along.  
  
"Hey I could use a hand here!" Helena called as she struggled with the demon. Prue took off of the ground, circling to kick him in the face, making him tumble to the ground and release Helena.  
  
"Now!" Prue called, still airborne. Helena scrambled to grab a fallen athame and threw it. The demon received it with a scream before exploding in a veil of fire. "Good job Len!" Prue landed. Helena grinned. "Now let's go catch up with the othres," she went to help her cousin up.  
  
At that time, elsewhere in San Francisco  
  
"Where should we go first? Get the cake or the balloons?" Mia asked Celia and their friends' young cousins.  
  
"Cake!" Diana announced.  
  
"Balloons!" Cecilia spoke at the same time. Celia laughed.  
  
"Why don't we split up? Diana and I will get the cake, and you two get the balloons." Agreement reached, the four split up and went off to attend to their tasks.  
  
"My art teacher says she's going to put two of my drawings in the presentation. The others only get one," Diana told Mia as they walked.  
  
"Way to go, Di!" Mia smiled. "You should be very proud of yourself."  
  
"I guess," Diana shrugged.  
  
"Something wrong?" Mia stopped walking and Diana did the same.  
  
"No, no, that's not it, it's just… well…" Mia crouched down before her.  
  
"I won't tell anyone. You can tell me. It'll be our little secret." Diana smiled that smile that reminded them all so of her aunt Piper.  
  
"Well, what if the other kids get mad at me? For having two things up there."  
  
"Di, I've seen your work. You deserve every bit of praise you may get." Now the eleven-year-old blushed. "Come on, we better get going if we don't want to be late." Diana nodded and the two walked off down the street.  
  
But then, as suddenly as sudden could be, Mia began to tremble quite forcefully. "M-Mia?" Diana's voice shook as she looked up to the sixteen-year-old. "What's wrong?" Mia's trembling fit drew her to the ground. Diana watched in horror as her cousins' friend's body shimmered briefly as she let out a painful scream before the glow flew off toward the sky and Mia fell back limply. "Mia?" Diana kneeled before her, looking at her. Her eyes stared into nothingness, frozen in horror. Diana drew a frightened breath, pulling away shortly before her head started darting around, looking for someone, anyone. "HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP!" she cried, hot tears straining her freckled face.  
  
Back with Paige, Prue, and Helena  
  
"Think we should start heading home. Wouldn't want to be late. Charlotte would be likely to blow a fuse," Helena grinned.  
  
"I don't know, she seems to be maturing toward a better attitude these days," Prue followed.  
  
"Well then let's not keep them waiting," Paige worked at dusting herself off. Just then something caught her attention from out of the corner of her eye. "Prue, Helena…" The girls turned to look toward where the witch was staring. On the very point where the demon's remains laid, a shining ball of light rocketed down from the sky before hitting the remains. They in turn began to glow, began to rise up.  
  
"Oh this can't be good, this can't be good…" Helena whispered as the three women closed ranks, at the ready for what was coming. What came, much to their surprise, was the demon they had just vanquished, back amongst the living.  
  
"So that old nut job wasn't lying…" he spoke ominously with a large smirk, making the witches get a sense they hated to get – the sense they would lose their battle here.  
  
One hour later – San Francisco Memorial  
  
"Do we have any ID on them?" the doctor asked the nurse as he looked to the three women being wheeled by them.  
  
"Paramedic said one of them was conscious when they arrived at the scene and informed him to call Dr. Nicolae. She's on her way."  
  
"I'm here," Ava came in a half job. "What's going on?"  
  
"You know these women?" he directed her to look after them.  
  
"Yes," she gasped, starting after them as the others followed. "Paige Matthews, 46. Her niece, Prue Halliwell, 21. Her daughter, Helena Matthews, 18. What happened?" She knew deep down what kind of person would have done it, but she still needed to know what they knew.  
  
"They were found by a cook, going back in the alley to dump trash. Place was a mess and they were there. Youngest one, they haven't been able to wake her yet, the other two are slipping in and out of consciousness. One of them requested you by name. They're your patients now." Ava nodded.  
  
"Tell Beth to call Halliwell Manor, she'll know what I mean," she ran off to catch up with the gurneys as the other two went off to care for the others needing attention. The nurse went to see Beth the receptionist as the doctor went to check on the young redhead who'd been brought in shortly before.  
  
Shortly after, the emergency room was invaded by the Halliwell family. Glen, carrying Cecilia, led the pack, which included Henry, the twins, Simon, Leo with Molly, Olivia, and Persia, and the three past and present whitelighters of the brood. Jason had volunteered to stay behind with the party guests.  
  
"Excuse me…" Glen had begun to address the woman at the front desk before…  
  
"Glen, over here," Ava called to him. The group went to sit in the waiting room, save for Leo and Glen. They went up to the woman.  
  
"Where are they? Are… are they alright?" Glen asked, and Ava could see the fear in his eyes.  
  
"They should be. Paige and Prue will be kept overnight one night at least. They're both beaten up, bruises and all, but with some rest… I am having some concerns about Paige's legs, they seem to have taken the bulk of it. I'd say she might need a cane for some time, maybe a few months, maybe for years, hard to say for now. She's still sleeping, like Prue."  
  
"And Helena?" Glen asked, shivering almost at the look on Ava's face at that point.  
  
"We've done all we can for now, the rest will be up to her I suppose. It took a moment for me to realize why she wasn't waking up. She'd slipped into a coma, even before we got to her. All I can say is…" and she whispered at this point, "… I hope they vanquished whoever did this." It took a moment for the men to take this news in.  
  
"Can we see them?" Leo asked.  
  
"Not yet, I'm sorry. But as soon as you can I'll let you know." Glen rubbed at his eyes.  
  
"We all came in such a hurry… we haven't heard from Mia or Diana, I should call home…"  
  
"Haven't heard from them?" Ava asked. "How so?" The tone in his voice indicated worry.  
  
"They were shopping for Emily and Charlotte's party. The others got home almost an hour ago. I just… I keep getting this feeling that something's happened."  
  
Something flashed across Ava's face like sudden recognition. "This Mia girl, five foot eight, long brown hair and brown eyes?" Glen and Leo thought for a moment.  
  
"I think so… Why?" Glen asked as Ava took off running down the hall. "Ava!" glen called after her, suddenly feeling his heart spinning. "Wait here," he told Leo, running after her. He followed her, slowed by the need to dodge past others. She ran into a room and as he followed he nearly bumped into her as she'd stopped next to her, staring along.  
  
On the very first bed before them, a short girl sat, legs dangling motionless as she faced them. Her hands were grasped together in her lap. Her head was down , letting a wave of blondish red curls fall over her face. Still Glen looked at her and he knew it was his little girl.  
  
"Diana?" he called gently, walking to her and crouching down to be at her eye level. She lifted her head very slowly, staring down into her father's eyes. Just looking back at her he knew she had been truly scared. "It's okay. I'm here now…" he whispered, taking her in his arms. He hugged her tight but he could feel she wasn't even trying to hold on with any force, she just wasn't able of it.  
  
"I saw the girl, Mia, when they came in but I didn't see Diana. I only heard there had been the child with her. Glen… the girl was dead when they got here and I… I felt something. Something happened, she wasn't supposed to die."  
  
"And Diana?" he asked, picking his daughter up as he stood again.  
  
"She called for help, but after that… She's fine physically… But she hasn't said a word since, she's lost in there somewhere. She's in shock, no doubt. How long it'll last is anyone's guess." Glen looked to his little Di as she laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Can I take her home?"  
  
"Of course," she nodded, then with a sigh, "Now I have to call Mia's parents. I hate this part."  
  
"Jason's at the manor, he'll know the number."  
  
"Thanks," she rubbed at her temples. "Listen, I'll let you know when you guys can see Paige and the girls."  
  
"Alright. Thank you Ava." The doctor left and Glen stood alone in the room, holding his tremblingly silent daughter close, pondering about the situation. Paige left with a possibly lifelong handicap Helena in a coma Em and Charlie's friend dead on their birthday, Diana witnessing it all, alone… The next little while would not be easy, he knew it, and he'd be there to help them all through it.  
  
June 18th 2024, early morning – San Francisco Memorial  
  
The day, and the night that followed, was one that they would never have wanted. Though for all they'd been through over the years it was a miracle they hadn't been to the hospital more often, all of it still brought on so many bad memories, nightmares. Emily and Charlotte were left heart broken at the news of their friend's death, their birthday leaving their minds completely.  
  
Prue had woken up around five the previous afternoon. Though her injuries had been so minor compared to everyone else's, she had been left so tired, truly exhausted, spent, that she would fall asleep in such ways that they thought she was fainting. For that reason, they kept her "three girls" occupied elsewhere. Piper had not left her side, sleeping in the chair next to her bed, tending to her when she was awake.  
  
Paige had slept through day and night, awaking only around seven the next morning. Now rested and with only the pain in her legs to really remind her of the events that had landed her here, she was told of the whole situation. She asked for Diana to be brought to her, then Cecilia. Knowing her time would need to be split, to deal with the present situation, she made the necessary decision and placed her daughter and niece's whitelighters in charge of watching over them while they weren't there. It wasn't what she wanted, but she knew there simply was no other way. Before she could leave though, she needed to see her daughter.  
  
Glen lifted her off the bed, placing her in a wheelchair, and took her to Helena's room. When they arrived, they were somewhat surprised to find Peter there. He told them they were taking turns staying with her and it had been his. He left them quickly.  
  
Paige's eyes welled up at the sight of her little Froggy, so still, peaceful in her pain. "My baby girl…" she whispered, taking her hand. "I'm sorry I let this happen to you…" There was so much about her that reminded Paige of Eric. He'd been gone for eighteen years but she could still draw his face with her eyes closed. He would forever be a part of her.  
  
An hour later, Paige finally agreed to go back home. Prue would remain here a little while longer. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong about her but somehow she was still having problems staying awake. So she was placed in the room next to Helena's and left in the care of the whitelighters as well.  
  
When they arrived home, Paige asked to be left alone with Diana in her room. She orbed them both up there instead of Glen having to carry them both. "You're safe now. You're home…" Diana placed herself snuggly in her mother's arms, letting herself be held. Paige could sense her fear and that made her frightened as well but also furious at whoever had caused it. Whatever it was had shocked her silent. She hadn't said a word since her cry for help the day before. "I'm going to need you to tell me what happened, you know that?" Her grip on her mother's shirt only got stronger there. "Okay, okay."  
  
"I've got an idea what we could do," Paige thought suddenly, "You like looking at the Book of Shadows." As she spoke the words, the object orbed into her lap. "You want to look at the Book?" The grip loosened and Paige smiled lightly. She began to page through the Book slowly, letting Diana check out the images as much as she wanted to. It was maybe twenty minutes into their paging that suddenly Diana whimpered and dug her head into her mother's shoulder. "Alright, alright, it's okay honey." Paige looked at the page that had caused her to hide.  
  
"Life-holders… Human beings cursed to lose their lives if the demon they are tied to dies, thereby reviving him. Innocents…" Paige looked at the images. A demon engulfed in flames, a woman in agony as she shimmered, the demon revived through the glow. She looked down to her daughter and she understood at last. Mia had been a life-holder to the demon they'd fought… the demon who put her precious daughter in a coma.  
  
"There'll be things I'll have to do," she brushed Diana's hair out of her face, "But if you want to keep holding my hand then you just do it, okay?" She kissed her forehead and orbed the two of them and the Book downstairs.  
  
San Francisco Memorial – Prue's room  
  
Piper sat at her daughter's bedside, watching as she slept. In all the years she'd spent since her death, the ones spent before the actual event, the ones after, she had plenty of time to ponder over what she'd left behind.  
  
First, there was Leo. With the years she'd lived and relived, she had known him for sixty-eight years… and she'd loved him just as long. It was very nearly torture being around him all these years and act as though it didn't kill her every time a little more not to be able to hold him near. Then there were her daughters. Prue had been only seven when she died, barely older than she'd been when her own mother had. She had thought about the possibility of her ending up living most of her life without her mother more than she would have liked. And even though she was able to make ties once more with her, some damage had happened. She'd seen how much Prue hurt about this and she wished she could have been able to comfort her. But one of the things that had been the hardest to deal with was Persia.  
  
The 45 years before she was able at last to bring her back into this world were not easy to say the least. The sense of failure she felt toward Prue was nothing compared with the one toward Persia. Their battles with evil had cost Prue her mother but it had cost Persia her life. Her first charge, Sarah, though she'd turned evil in the end, had been a child when 'Cara' had been assigned to her. And in a sense they'd become almost like mother and daughter despite the fact that Sarah was aging and she wasn't. And when she'd become pregnant, giving birth to a twin boy and girl, Piper had become their grandmother. Tyler and Hannah's father had never been part of the picture, but he'd been a witch too. She still kept in contact with the twins, who were now in their late twenties. When Sarah had turned, she'd taken them away from her and resettled them safely. As they were still young, they were impressionable. She knew Sarah wouldn't kill them, but she could try to sway them to her side. The old Sarah wouldn't have wanted that.  
  
A knock at the door sprung her from her thoughts and position half-lying down holding her daughter's hand. However close whitelighters were with charges and sort-of-charges, this would have been too revealing of her true connection to Prue.  
  
"Cara, I need to talk to you…"  
  
"Leo? What's wrong?" she spoke, attempting once again to keep cool. 'Still as cute as the day I met him… darn it.' "Is it Helena?"  
  
"No, she's still sleeping. There's something to take care of though, and I need your help."  
  
"W-why me? I don't have powers, I can't… do anything. I'm human."  
  
"Yeah… exactly."  
  
Three days later, June 21st 2024 – Buenos Aires, Argentina  
  
"Which one is it?" C/Piper scanned the crowd.  
  
"Over there," Leo nodded his head slowly. Her face crumpled. The boy was only perhaps six years old.  
  
"I really hate this creep. Alright, let's do this." C/Piper moved forward.  
  
"Good luck." She approached the boy and his mother, thanking the elders for assigning her to Esperanza thirty years ago.  
  
"Señora… por favor… ¿Qué hora es?"  
  
"Son las once y media," she replied in a kind voice.  
  
"Gracias," she nodded before turning to the boy. "Hola."  
  
"Hola," he spoke back with a smile. The boy was not shy. Piper laughed lightly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. During contact, she whispered the phrase they had encoded for her to say thanks to a spell cast by Caelin.  
  
"I take your burden." She felt the chill again, meaning it had worked. "Adiós." Piper waved to the two and returned to Leo.  
  
"We can take a break before taking care of it. You still look kind of spent from the last one," he put a hand on her arm. She shook her head.  
  
"No, I'm fine. I want to stop this from happening to anyone ever again," she looked to the little boy hopping around his mother.  
  
"Alright, come on," he took her hand and they orbed to her apartment again. "You ready?"  
  
"Yeah," she nodded in the trademark way of someone who was about to endure something very hard and not for the first time. Leo pulled out a small bag, taking a handful of powder and throwing it at her. He hurried to put the bag down, get ready.  
  
At this point she knew the sequence of events by heart. First she felt her body jerk, then came the crawling feeling through her head, then the pain so intense that she'd screamed her head off the first time. And then all that she'd removed from the boy in Argentina, the curse itself, came dribbling out of her ear, pooling on the floor and taking a form that was almost gelatin.  
  
"Hurry!" C/Piper breathed, attempting to pull herself together. Leo rushed with a jar at the ready, going to the ground to attempt to gather it. But the substance squirmed away like it had all those times before, before he could catch it, fading and then disappearing altogether. "Damn it!" she kicked a nearby end table.  
  
"I'm sorry. I should have dove faster," Leo stood.  
  
"Yeah, you should have…" she muttered, partly regretting it, but it had been said now, so…  
  
"Hey I'm doing the best I can here!"  
  
"I know you are, but that's not enough! This thing is taking the lives of innocents and attacking others in ways… Look what he did to ou… t-to Prue…" Her heart was beating so fast. She'd almost let the cat out of the bag. Leo however seemed to have caught on to something. Whatever it was though, Leo apparently decided not to say anything.  
  
"Come on, we'll track another."  
  
Two days later, June 23rd 2024 – San Francisco Memorial  
  
"Hey Molly! Oh how I've missed you!" Prue picked up the eager little witch. She'd just been released at last as she seemed to have recovered completely. She was greeted by L/Phoebe, who went to get the three young girls by Prue's request.  
  
"They've missed you too, you couldn't imagine."  
  
"Did you make trouble?" Prue asked Persia with a slight smirk. Persia, ever the truthful one, shook her head confidently. "Well, we'll talk about it later. How's everyone? What's going on?" As her state was hard to evaluate, she hadn't been apprised much of the situation.  
  
"Paige has been up and about, taking care of Diana's problem as best she can…"  
  
"What problem?"  
  
"Mia's dead. Diana saw it happen, she hasn't said a word since."  
  
"What?" Prue gasped, "What happened?"  
  
"The demon you were fighting, he had himself a life-holder, a human… cursed to have their life taken to revive a killed demon, in this case Mia for your demon."  
  
"That's horrible, did you all stop it?"  
  
"Your father and… Cara… have been trying to, for five days. So far they haven't had any luck."  
  
"I see… What about Helena? How's she doing?" L/Phoebe blinked for barely half a second, but Prue caught it.  
  
"She's been in a coma for six days now… I was just with her now. If you want, I'll watch the girls and you can go see her." Prue nodded shakily. Helena was perhaps the cousin she was the closest to the next oldest girl.  
  
Prue walked out into the hall, despite the cried it caused her girls making her want to remain where she was. Almost right away she spotted her uncle Glen. He walked over to her with a smile.  
  
"Look who's up," he hugged her.  
  
"Hey," she laughed.  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"Much better," she nodded, "I was on my way to visit Helena. Any change?" He shook his head.  
  
"Your aunt's been coming as often as she can, but with Diana… So the three of us have been taking shifts with her. In fact it's my turn, after Lauren's ended just now…" He looked up as he heard a door open, almost thinking it could be Helena, awake at last. Instead it was Peter, ducking out discreetly. Glen and Prue watched him go unnoticed. "There he goes again…"  
  
"Yeah…" Prue kept her eyes away. She knew why he'd been there, one of the very few who did.  
  
Two days later, June 25th 2024 – Athens, Greece  
  
"Cara, take a break. We've done three already today. You're not immortal anymore, you can't keep going like this…" Leo helped her along.  
  
"I'm feeling good about this one, Leo. We'll get it this time. Come on, point me in the right direction." Leo did so, knowing somehow he wouldn't get her to change her mind. She went forward toward the old woman. Leo wasn't sure if her faltering was part of her plan or if she'd fallen for real, but he couldn't risk moving yet. But then before long Cara was back on her feet and waving goodbye to the woman. Leo rushed over and helped her to an alley. "I-I got it, let's go," she told him as she smiled. "She said I looked like her granddaughter."  
  
They orbed back to the apartment, going over the 'routine'. Soon there was the puddle again. This time, at the last minute, he had an idea and crouched at the ready as she was struggling. She'd take a fall as she did on the last ones, but if it meant catching this thing, she wouldn't mind it. When the puddle scooped into the jar he screwed the top on out of reflex. His mind was too shocked and relieved to believe they finally had it. He looked to Cara and she had indeed fallen. She was trying to pick herself up.  
  
"I'll take care of it, you stay…"  
  
"No! I want to come," she stood, grabbing the envelope Leo was about to pick up before he could. "Come on, Leo. I have to do this." He hesitated for a while, then finally placed a hand on her shoulder and orbed to the location Caelin had scried for them. What they saw wasn't what they expected.  
  
They were in a cave from what they could tell. Before them was a massively large and deep-looking pit filled with something that looked a lot like what they had in the jar. C/Piper looked to Leo, who still held the jar. He went to take it out of his pocket.  
  
Just then two big demons came in. The rest happened very quickly. Leo tried to keep them away from C/Piper, though at the same time he had to find a way to get her the jar. Caught in his momentary wonderings, he left himself open to a concussive blast from one of the demons, sending him flying toward the pit.  
  
"LEO!" C/Piper shouted before she was tackled to the ground by one of the demons. She struggled to release herself, her fighting skills though semi-remembered wouldn't help her much in her exhaustion. Swiping at his face she managed to scratch bloody gashes there. He screamed and pulled back enough to let her kick him away. She started crawling away on her hands and knees. She didn't even notice someone had stopped the two from following her as she collapsed unable to get any further.  
  
"Give me the envelope!"  
  
"Leo?" she spoke weakly, tilting her head. There he stood panting. She held her hand open and he ran to grab it. He knelt down and hurried to take the jar, open it, empty in it the envelope's contents, close it, shake the whole thing, then re-open and dump the mix in the pit. He picked up C/Piper and carried her over to the wall, away from the blast which ensued. When it stopped, Leo could see the pit was empty.  
  
"D-did it work?" C/Piper asked.  
  
"Yeah, they're gone… Piper?" She stopped short, hesitating to look up. Finally she did and she couldn't stop herself from crying.  
  
"How did you…" He cried too now.  
  
"I'd always know you… I promised you that the day we married." She managed to smile through the pain, exhaustion, emotions.  
  
"Leo…" He hugged her.  
  
"Let's get out of here." And they orbed out, no doubt having a long conversation ahead of them.  
  
The next day, June 26th 2024 – San Francisco Memorial  
  
Paige decided to take Diana to see Helena. She didn't know why but she felt compelled to do so. Cecilia was having a blast with her grandparents and Paige couldn't help thinking of the time after Piper and Phoebe had died when Helena had been sent to the Norwood home. Diana still wasn't talking and Helena was still sleeping. Paige herself was adjusting to walking with a cane.  
  
As they were coming down the hall toward the room, Diana suddenly pulled her hand free from Paige's and started running. "Diana!" she called after her, trying to follow as fast as she could. When she got to the room she saw she'd entered, Paige nearly dropped her cane. Diana stood at the bed holding Helena's hand. At once as she turned to face her mother, Paige saw Helena's eyes were open, her head was moving slowly. And then…  
  
"She's awake…" Diana announced calmly. Tears came to the ex-Charmed One's face faster than you could say Halliwell. Her middle daughter had said all the words needed, leaving the mother able to simply walk to them and hug them both one after the other. "I'll go tell the others."  
  
"You do that," Paige laughed through her tears, so happy to hear her daughter's voice again. "My little Froggy…" she kissed her hand.  
  
"Mom…" she spoke groggily.  
  
"It's alright, take it easy…" she smoothed her hair out of her face with her free hand.  
  
In the hall, Diana readily announced to those present, her father and the whitelighters… "Helena's awake."  
  
"Sweetheart…" Glen picked her up, holding her close as she returned the hug. Over her shoulder he could see Peter standing there. After holding on to his little Honey-Dee for a while longer he let her join Paige and said he'd be right there.  
  
After a short search he found Peter at the vending machines. "Hi," he spoke, his attention still on the chocolate and chips.  
  
"I need to ask you some questions…" He didn't seem surprised, or like he'd try to fight it.  
  
"Ask away," he put in the money.  
  
"The past… week or so… you've been in Helena's room a lot. More than just your shifts."  
  
"Yes…" he punched in his selection.  
  
"It's probably my being a little shaken by all that's happened…"  
  
"But…"  
  
"You just seemed to be acting kind of…"  
  
"Fatherly?" he finished for him, reaching for his chocolate before turning to look at him. Neither spoke for a moment, understanding dawning.  
  
"You're…"  
  
"Helena's father," E/Peter nodded slowly. "Don't tell anyone you know. I'll explain the questions you undoubtedly have… But not now. She needs her father right now. It can't be me, so I guess that means you." He handed him the chocolate with a nod and walked away. 


	21. Ep 8 Fatherly Ties

Once again with the Monday upload... I don't think you guys mind though, right? ;) Enjoy!  
  
Oh, and please don't hate me for the character killin' that will occur... O:-)  
  
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October 19th 2024 – Halliwell Manor  
  
"You sure you're ready?"  
  
"Mom, I gotta. You've been really good to take me back in these past few months, but I have to move back home eventually. I can't stay here forever." Paige smiled and hugged her daughter.  
  
"I don't know, this house can hold more people than you think…"  
  
"Mom."  
  
"I know, I know. What can I say, I worry about you…" Helena kissed her cheek and Paige laughed. "Go check on your sisters for me, will you?"  
  
"Sure," she nodded and started for the stairs as the doorbell rang. She circled back and went for the door. "I'll get it!" When she opened it, she gasped. "Michael, what happened to you?" Michael Morris stood there, his uniform, his hands covered here and there with blood, his body shaking but not as much as his eyes, which were threatening to spill over any second now.  
  
"My father… he's… he's been… There was a hostage situation. We were both there. He… saved me, but he… he's gone." It was almost frightening to see this man, usually so strong and collected, broken to pieces like this. At the same time the news he brought was sending the women into a sudden and overtaking sadness. "I wasn't sure where to go… Can't see them…" he shook his head. Helena hugged him just as he finally began to cry.  
  
"C-Come in," Helena told him, leading him toward the living room. "Your mother…"  
  
"Shana and Bryan have been called, they're on their way to see her. I had to… stick around for a while, then I was told I could go home… I didn't want to be alone, so I thought about going to my parents' home… I wasn't ready…"  
  
"It's okay, Michael, you can stay as long as you like." Helena looked to her mother.  
  
"I'll go make us some tea. Helena, will you help me carry it in when it's ready?" She nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry about just coming…"  
  
"Hey, it's okay…" she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I mean, I… sort of know what this is like." He looked at her. "Sort of," she tilted her head with a pained look on her face.  
  
"Your father was a cop, too. He was killed on duty, wasn't he?" Helena nodded. Her mother had long held that as fact, but she knew it wasn't the case. She knew her mother well. If she didn't want her to know then it must have been really bad. "What happened?"  
  
"He chased a guy in a building. He had guns, a gang…" She lowered her head for a moment, her face crumpling just a bit before she looked up at him again. "I was only a week old so I don't remember him but… I've spent my life hearing about him from others, how great he was… I… I miss him… a stranger…" There was a moment of silence. "You'll be okay… in the end… I guess that's what I'm trying to say."  
  
"Thank you," he nodded. "I just keep seeing his face… he was trying to be strong, but he knew it was coming… he was terrified."  
  
"I'm… so sorry, Michael…" she cried with him.  
  
At this time, Prue & Keely's home  
  
"So what's this big news I've been hearing so much about?" Prue asked her friend.  
  
"Well…" Keely hesitated. "Tristan and I are moving in together, a small place near work… I almost said no…" Prue smiled to herself.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I didn't want to leave you guys…"  
  
"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. As long as you're happy then I've got nothing to say except 'I'm gonna miss you.'" Keely's face quivered and she gathered Prue into a hug.  
  
"I'll miss you too! But I'll be around," she pulled back, "You won't get rid of me so easily." They laughed. Keely had met Tristan a few months ago when Prue had rescued him and taken him back to the apartment. He was a witch, and he and Keely were just about an instant item.  
  
After Keely ran off to meet Tristan to shop paint colors, Prue got to preparing the girls. Molly and Olivia were a breeze, but Persia was another issue. The girl was a n odd one, that was for sure. She was very aware of things for her age, but at the same time she was just a regular kid. It was something hard to explain, but understood by those who knew Persia. Quite recently she had discovered her orbing abilities. So now if she didn't want something she simply orbed to another room. Eventually Prue would get her to cooperate, but that could take a while. On the days she went to Piper's place though, she was in more of a hurry than Prue. After dressing her and brushing her hair, Prue got ready herself and the four of them were off.  
  
When they got to the apartment, Persia found the hidden key and opened the door herself, running in. "Cara!" she called. The girl in question came in and she looked kind of fidgety.  
  
"Hey, you're early." Prue observed her mother. She was hiding something, and the look on her face told Prue it was something big.  
  
"Uh, yea, had to be up to make sure Keely got up on time." Suddenly…  
  
"Daddy!" Persia announced happily.  
  
"Daddy?" Prue repeated, confused, following her glance. On Piper's couch, Leo slept soundly. "Hang on," she took the girls into the other room, where they would be within sight but out of earshot. "Mom? What's going on?"  
  
"Well…"  
  
JUNE 25TH 2024 – C/PIPER'S APARTMENT  
  
"Here, drink this…" Leo handed her a cup of something that smelled great and appeared to be very hot.  
  
"Thanks," she took it. So tired and exhausted though, her hands were shaking. He placed his hands over hers, steadying her grip so that she was able to bring the cup to her mouth and drink. When she was done, he put the cup aside and she settled down.  
  
"You should rest…" he started to stand, but she grabbed his hand.  
  
"Leo, wait… sit." They remained motionless for a minute before he finally relented. "Did… did you always know?" He looked at her, and she knew in him a shaking sadness.  
  
"I didn't, not really. But my heart must have because I loved you. I couldn't bring myself to admit it, to you and myself because… I felt like I'd be betraying you…" She tried not to cry. "Now I know I always only loved you." And now she cried.  
  
"Leo…" Before she could go on, both of them were orbed up, finding themselves standing before a row of seated Elders. "I knew this was gonna happen…" she sighed.  
  
"We were told a lot of things that were pretty much what they told us the first time we got together. Of course there were some things that were different because I'm human this time. Then they said they'd 'deliberate' on the situation and get back to us. They sent us back and that was that. So the past couple months we've been waiting to see what'd happen. Yesterday they told us what they came up with. If we want to be together… he has to give up his wings. So we decided this: We'll be… friends… for a while, and when we're ready to go for it…"  
  
"Wow… That's great!" Piper laughed. "So… he's known about you for months and you didn't tell me?"  
  
"Well…"  
  
"I'm not mad or anything, it's just all this ducking around I had to do around him and it was all unnecessary." Piper laughed again. "Does he know about the other two?"  
  
"What other two?" Prue clasped her hand to her mouth, looking to her father, who'd risen. Then he grinned.  
  
"Okay, that is NOT funny," she hugged him. "You still haven't explained to me how come he was on the couch though."  
  
"Well after they told us, we talked for a while and he fell asleep after while we watched TV, so…"  
  
"I see…" she nodded. "Well, I have to get to work. Don't do anything crazy while I'm away, alright?" she winked before going to the other room to say goodbye to the girls. She'd been hearing some giggles for a minute or two now and she'd wondered what it was all about at first but eventually let it go. Stepping into the room now though she found out just what had been so funny. As the girls watched mesmerized, a dog stood on its hind legs, balancing a bright red ball on its nose. Only when Persia realized she was there and turned to look at her big sister, the dog and ball disappeared. "C-Cara, Dad, I think you better come in here."  
  
Shortly after, Halliwell Manor  
  
"Aunt Paige!" Prue called out as she orbed in. After the development with Persia, she'd called in to work and told them she wouldn't be in that day. Things needed to be addressed, plus she had the strangest feeling something else had happened. She walked into the living room to find Michael Morris standing at the window, wearing what it took her half a second to recognize as some of her father's old clothes. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she smiled. "And in those clothes?" He turned to look at her and the look on his face made the hair on the back of her neck rise. She heard steps coming from the kitchen.  
  
"Prue? What are you doing here?" Paige asked. Helena looked to her cousin, so emotionally charged the thought all but rocketed into Prue's mind. She gasped, her voice shaking as she tried to keep her composure for Michael.  
  
"I-I… Helena?" She nodded. Without another word, the two went into the kitchen and Paige went to sit with the grieving son of Darryl Morris.  
  
A few days later, Michael called Helena. The department wanted to put together a special memorial for his father and they needed pictures and other things. He'd been almost forced, by himself, to take on the task. But he asked her for help. She told him to put everything in a box and come over, they'd go through it together.  
  
When he arrived, she took him to the attic. She'd been sure to put away the Book and other things before he arrived. She felt like after all those years, and now especially, he should know about them. But she knew it was only selfish on her part. Ignorance would be safer.  
  
"Who's that?" Helena asked, looking at a picture of Darryl and another man. Michael looked.  
  
"That's my dad's old partner, Trudeau… Andy." Helena remembered something.  
  
"Right, right. My mom told me about him once. She never met him herself of course, her own knowledge of him was slim. She did tell me he dated my aunt Prue at a time… and then…" They became quiet. Michael put the picture with the others they'd selected thus far. They continued to look through all the things Michael had brought over. The whole experience was awkward in general, so they had to learn to deal with it. "Look…" she smiled then, holding up a picture of Darryl with Michael (then 11), Shana (3), Sheila, and a newborn Bryan.  
  
"The day Shana was born, my father told me there may come a day when I would have to look over her and mom. I didn't really understand what he was getting at then… He told me again when Bryan was born." He paused for a second. "Maybe two days after, he was shot… in the shoulder. Mom took me to see him. I looked at him and it hit me what he'd tried to tell me. It scared me to death. He was okay, he recovered, but still after that things changed. And for some reason… that's when I knew I'd be a cop too. It was just something I knew. I didn't know why I'd do it but I knew I would."  
  
Helena stood and picked up a tin box sitting on a nearby table. "I've never shown this to anyone before… didn't want anyone but me to know about it. I guess I was afraid I'd lose it, lose him." She placed the box on the ground between them. She pulled back the top, placing it in her lap as she revealed the contents. "Started this when I was… eight, I think. Everything I could find on him, pictures, letters, articles…" She reached to the bottom, pulling out a smaller box. "You said you knew you wanted to be an officer, like your father…" she began to cry then, opening the small box and turning it toward Michael so he could see – a badge. Eric's badge. "I've felt it too. Almost… all my life. But I can't…" she broke down. Michael gathered her close into his arms, letting her release this burden she'd been holding on to all those years.  
  
"Shh, it's okay. What do you mean you can't?"  
  
"My… my mother. I know what dangers I'd be facing, I know… I could end up like my dad. And my mom, she's lost so much, not just him… I couldn't do this to her."  
  
"Hey, look at me," he pulled her back so they could see eye to eye. "I know what you're saying. Of all the people in your life I'd say I know more than anyone. But if this is what you really want, what you want to do, then you have to do it. Not for anyone else but yourself. Alright?"  
  
"Yeah," she nodded as a smile crawled out from within the sadness. "I'm the one who should be doing the comforting…"  
  
"You did," Michael assured her, handing her a tissue. What came next happened though they were never sure how, only that it happened. Their eyes locked for a second before both leaned in, exchanging a short and gentle kiss. Silence set in, the two of them pulling back to work at looking through the pictures without a word. After a few minutes of stolen glances and wandering thoughts, the pictures were tossed aside and Michael and Helena kissed once more, this time for a while longer, the struggle of emotions they'd been feeling fueling the clinging embrace.  
  
The next day – October 24th 2024 – Cemetery  
  
The service came and went. Darryl's loss had affected them all so, and the service had been awkward for it.  
  
As the gathered began to leave, Glen looked up. It was then he spotted him, walking through the gravestones… Peter… Eric. Excusing himself, he followed. He found him at last standing before a grave – his own.  
  
"I knew you'd come," P/Eric spoke without turning. "You have questions."  
  
"Well… yes. It's been… four months, you haven't explained anything."  
  
"This isn't the easiest thing to do. Especially with you." Finally he turned to face him. "I want you to know… I won't do anything to stand between you and Paige. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be allowed. I want her to be happy and she is. I couldn't ask for more."  
  
"Why the sneaking around then? Why don't you just tell them?" P/Eric turned his face to the headstone.  
  
"It's not as easy as that. I'm not allowed."  
  
"You told me."  
  
"You were on my trail. I saved you the trouble." He turned back to Glen. "In a way, maybe it'll make things easier."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You can be my eyes and ears… tell me how they are." Glen accepted, seeing the sadness in the man's eyes.  
  
Two days later, Prue's home  
  
"Can I talk to you?" were the first words out of her cousin's mouth as she was let in, before Prue could even place a word.  
  
"Uh, of course Len. What's going on? Is everyone okay?" she asked, suddenly fearing the worst had happened.  
  
"Y-yeah, everybody's fine. I just wasn't sure who to go to about this…"  
  
"What's going on?" Prue asked as they sat.  
  
"I sort of… have a date."  
  
"Well that's great!" Prue smiled, not understanding why Helena was being all fidgety about it.  
  
"With Michael…" she went on. Prue stopped. Going through her "internal rolodex" she found only one person it could be.  
  
"Michael… Morris?" Helena nodded. "H-how… when did this happen? How?" she repeated.  
  
"W-well… we sort of made out." Prue was shocked, and that was an understatement. She kept it cool though.  
  
"Now… I know that this doesn't have much weight coming from someone whose father had time to live AND die well before her mother was born but… you do realize the age difference, right?"  
  
"It's only ten years…" Helena shrugged.  
  
"Len, when you were born he was already finishing fourth grade." Prue closed her eyes for a second. "I'll try to be open though. How…" Helena looked down.  
  
"We had this… connection… our fathers. It just sort of happened."  
  
"He just broke up with Marissa like a month ago, didn't he? What if he's not ready?"  
  
"It's just something we have to do, Prue…" the girl told her cousin, quickly regaining the pain she'd felt the first time she'd understood her father wasn't just "on a trip".  
  
"Oh Len…" she put her arm around the girl's shoulders, letting her head rest on her own. "It's okay. I understand." They were silent.  
  
"Prue?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you remember that day when Dad was killed?"  
  
"Yes," she spoke slowly. "I was three, but it's not something you forget so easily."  
  
"Tell me?"  
  
"Okay," she spoke after a pause. "We were in the living room, you, me, your Mom. I had you in my lap… playing peek-a-boo." Both managed a smile. "And then… there was a great noise. Your mom told me to orb upstairs with you. So I did, I called my mom, then hid with you in the closet." She paused again, and Helena sat up to look at her. Prue sighed. "I tried to keep you calm, singing whatever lullaby I could remember. Then… I heard Aunt Paige scream. I was too scared to sing at that point, so I just held you close… hoped she was okay. Then a few minutes later Mom found us. Aunt Phoebe was with her. I didn't question it at the time, but I later found out our mothers switched powers. My mother orbed to get Phoebe, and your mom… she went after the warlocks. When Mom and Aunt Phoebe found us, they did the best they could to cheer us up, but I think… we just knew what was going on. I knew I wouldn't get to play with my uncle anymore, and you…" Silence fell over them once more. "He'd want you to be happy. No matter how… we all do." Helena, now crying, hugged her cousin tightly.  
  
"Thanks, Prue…" She nodded. "So…" she started, wanting to find a new topic. She didn't like much crying in front of people, even though she seemed to do it more than she'd like. "How's everyone? Molly, Persia, Olivia…" Prue smiled.  
  
"You know, with the past few days… I haven't been able to tell you guys."  
  
"Tell us what?"  
  
"Persia got a new power…"  
  
Somewhere  
  
"… She does? That's amazing!" said the first girl.  
  
"It surprised me too," the second one added.  
  
"Well what is it?"  
  
"I'm not sure. It looks like she can… project images from her mind."  
  
The shadowy figure waved his hand over the puddle of water, and the image disappeared.  
  
"Our suspicions have been confirmed. The threat is real."  
  
"Do we pick her up?" another man asked.  
  
"No. Not yet. Let's wait to see what the child does with this power first."  
  
A few months later – December 2024  
  
"I think it's time I told them…"  
  
"Who, your parents?"  
  
"Well, yeah. You think it's a bad idea?"  
  
"That's not it, but… it's been going so well. Things are nice the way they are."  
  
"It's not like they don't know you."  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter. If you want to tell them, then we'll tell them."  
  
"Hang on now, this isn't right and you know it… We'll wait one more month. But that's it!"  
  
"Thank you," Michael hugged her as they sat on his couch.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," Helena smiled, snuggling in closer, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. Nothing could hurt her there, not while he held her.  
  
One month later – January 2025  
  
"So how's it going with you two?" Prue asked Helena as they walked toward the magic shop.  
  
"Good, good," Helena nodded. Prue looked at her. She could read her cousin like a book.  
  
"No it's not."  
  
"No, it's not." Helena sighed. "It was really, really great at first, I mean he's such a great guy."  
  
"But…"  
  
"He still doesn't want us to tell. It's like he's afraid of what they'll think… like it'll shame him… like I'll shame him."  
  
"You do remember the part where you're eighteen, that he's twenty-eight… Do you realize the trouble he could get in?"  
  
"Hey, it's not like we're… well, you know." Helena blushed. Prue couldn't help laughing slightly.  
  
"Yeah…" She hooked arms with her. "So… what are you going to do? Break up with him?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know! No matter what, I still really care about him."  
  
"Are you happy?" Helena sighed, looking around.  
  
"It's all these secrets! We all live secrets, all the time, and I'm sick of it! Lie to mom and dad about Michael! Lie to Michael about our secret! Lie to my friends about why I always do that 'shudder and run routine'! What's the point? Why do we have to keep our lives only half open to everyone? Don't you hate that?"  
  
"Yeah…" Prue spoke solemnly. Helena sighed again.  
  
"Someone give me a sign? Please?" It was then that Prue put her arm before Helena, stopping her in her tracks.  
  
"Helena? Is that who I think it is?" She looked, and she couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
"If you're thinking Michael's ex, then you're right on the spot," she observed the woman walking along across the street.  
  
"How long ago did they break up? Like, five months ago?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Now if I remember from my time, she looks about, what, six months along?"  
  
"I should know not to make demands aloud like that…" Helena winced.  
  
The next day, Marissa Roberts' apartment  
  
There was a knock at the door and Marissa stood from the couch, putting her book on the coffee table as she walked toward the door. The knock came again. "Just a second!" she called to the impatient person. She looked through the peephole and recognized the girl after a few seconds. She wasn't sure what to do.  
  
"Marissa, it's Helena. It's okay, I know." She was confused, but she opened the door. Helena tried not to stare, but it was hard. "Come in," Marissa sighed. The two went to sit.  
  
"D-does Michael know?" she asked, focusing to look into her face. Marissa held on to her round belly sort of protectively.  
  
"No. He doesn't know."  
  
"Why didn't you tell him?" The woman sat back.  
  
"I didn't know when we broke up. I only found out… maybe two weeks after. At first, I had every intention to tell him. But then… I don't know. I just didn't."  
  
"Why did you break up? If you don't mind…"  
  
"It was silly, really," Marissa shook her head. "We had this stupid fight and we yelled and yelled and then I left, slammed the door. We spoke once since then. It was the next day. We decided maybe we needed some time apart… it's been five months."  
  
"Do you still… love him?" Marissa looked at Helena for a second, then away again.  
  
"Of course. But… I heard he has a new girlfriend. I wouldn't want to intrude, I mean, if I show up now what do you think they'll believe my reason is? That I still love him, or that I'm looking for child support?" Helena was feeling something she hated – guilt.  
  
So after she left Marissa's place, she headed to Michael's. She knew it was his day off. She let herself in and found him sleeping on the couch. She sat on the edge and gently shook his shoulder. "Michael?"  
  
"Mmm…" he reached up to place his arms around her and she let out a little squeal as she fell down, their faces only inches apart. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Morning." Helena sighed.  
  
"Honey, we need to talk."  
  
"About what?" he asked, still partly in 'goofy mode'. He helped her sit up as he did the same.  
  
"Well, about us, and about Marissa." That got his attention.  
  
An hour later, Marissa's apartment  
  
For the second time that day, there was a knock at the door. She sure was getting a lot of visitors that day. She opened the door, and the gulp was audible. "Michael… W-What are you doing here?" It was at that point she spotted Helena standing behind the man she loved. "Oh. Uh, come in."  
  
"Marissa, why didn't you tell me?" he asked, taking her hands in his. Her eyes blinked back tears.  
  
"I didn't want to impose. I heard you had a new girlfriend…" At that point, Helena cleared her throat and shyly led up her hand.  
  
"Well, we sort of… broke up," Michael explained. He wouldn't tell her this break up had happened less than an hour ago, not yet anyway. It would be too complicated. "Marissa, I was such an idiot to let you go. I know that can't make up for everything, but I'll take care of that too. I love you, Marissa."  
  
"Michael…" she lost it at that point, hugging him close. "We were both idiots. I'm so sorry…"  
  
"No, don't be." She smiled.  
  
"I love you too." They kissed briefly before remembering Helena was still standing a few feet away. They looked at her and found she was crying her eyes out. It didn't seem like she was sad. She looked more like someone watching a particularly touching scene in a romantic movie. Michael and Marissa laughed a little, both so grateful to her for bringing them back together.  
  
"Marissa… I want to do this right, for you and…" He wasn't sure how to refer to their child.  
  
"Him. It's a boy."  
  
"A son…" he breathed, and the waterworks continued. He got down on one knee. "Please, Marissa… Will you marry me?"  
  
"Yes…" she whispered. They kissed again before Marissa's face lit up and took his hand and placed it on her belly. Their boy was kicking, greeting his father for the first time. The look on Michael's face was priceless. That boy would have two loving parents caring for him, and that made things even greater for Helena. She'd done the right thing.  
  
She left the happy couple shortly after, having accepted Marissa's request that Helena would be her maid of honor. She made her way to the cemetery. She'd been doing it more often since Darryl's death. She went and she talked to her father's gravestone. Deep down she knew she was just hoping to get an answer to the question she'd been asking herself for months.  
  
"Hey Dad, it's me. So… what's new? Well, I broke up with Michael. I'm okay though. He'll be much happier back with Marissa. And that'll be less lying, right? At least we're still going to be friends." She paused. "And I think I've decided to go for it… I'm going to become a police officer. Any clue on how I can break it to Mom?"  
  
"Helena…" The girl's face froze. She turned slowly, confirming it was indeed who she thought it was.  
  
"H-hey… Mom. H-how long have you been standing there?" Paige came to sit next to her daughter.  
  
"Long enough to find out a few things." Helena's face got red. "Honey, why didn't you tell me about this?"  
  
"I don't know, I don't know," she sniffled. "I didn't want to worry you."  
  
"Froggy… I'll be worried no matter what you do. I'm your mother, it's all part of the job description. But I'd never want that to keep you from doing what you really want to do. You just do what your heart tells you, and I'll be the proudest mom ever."  
  
The women hugged for a while. A distance away, the one they came to mourn here watched them, glad the women he loved were happy. 


	22. Ep 9 Not Meant For This World

Since I've done it this way for the last two weeks or so, I've decided I might as well continue with the posting of new chapters on Mondays...  
  
Just to let you know: This is chapter 22. I am presently finishing writing chapter 24. In other words, you guys are catching up with me ;) I'll try my best to keep the 'one a week' thing going, but at some point, it may be a bit derailed. I hope you don't mind too much. I really want to finish writing this story this summer, because during school time I just don't have enough time and I'd hate to keep you guys waiting when that happens... :)  
  
Anyhoo, here's the chappie!  
  
--  
  
April 21st 2025 – Norwood's San Francisco  
  
"Prue?" She looked up at her little sister who stood in front of one of the shelves.  
  
"Yes Persia?"  
  
"What's that?" she pointed to a jar. This happened often. She would point out an item and demand to know its purpose. Prue didn't think it was a good idea to tell her about all these things just yet, so she always made up something. This amused Persia, who had quickly figured out the deal but didn't appear to mind it.  
  
"This is the big toe of a beast, and when you put it on your head, it makes foot odors go away. Of course then you have to deal with the stink of your head, but that's nothing a good shampoo can't handle." Persia giggled and went back to sit with two-year-olds Molly and Olivia. She looked at her daughter, and she felt something her aunt Paige told her she still felt looking at Helena. The more Molly grew the longer it had been since Nate left. She still held it in her mind that he'd return someday, even though the others didn't believe it.  
  
"Okay guys, are you ready?" Persia intoned, getting the girls' attention. Prue laughed. Persia put her hands together, made a 'concentrated' face, then pulled her hands apart. Out of them flew three colorful butterflies, one green, one blue, one pink. They flew in circles around the girls. Prue was still amazed how well she'd been able to master her powers in these past few months. And unlike the first time, a distraction didn't make the images disappear. Molly and Olivia watched the butterflies, totally mesmerized. Persia looked to her sister and grinned. Prue smiled and gave her a thumbs up.  
  
And then, with no warning at all, Persia vanished along with her butterflies. Prue rose from the lean on the counter. "PERSIA?" The girls started to cry. Prue ran around the counter, looking at the spot where her sister had been. "DAD!" she called out. Within seconds, Leo orbed in. He saw the panic on Prue's face and looked around.  
  
"Prue? What's going on?" He noticed someone was missing. "Where's Persia?"  
  
"I-I don't know! One second she was there, and…"  
  
"She couldn't have hidden…"  
  
"No, dad, you don't get it. She disappeared, poof, out of thin air. S-someone took her!" She was crying now. Persia was her sister, but she was almost her daughter too.  
  
"Alright, stay calm, maybe I can find her." He closed his eyes. Prue watched him, almost willing him to find her. But then he opened his eyes, and he looked lost.  
  
"Dad?" Prue's voice pleaded.  
  
"I can't find her." He was getting worried too. "Come on, let's go see your aunt Paige…"  
  
"Dad, wait… What about Mom? We can't keep her out of this…"  
  
"We can't reveal her identity either." Prue closed her eyes. Then she opened them again, and there was a plan being formed. "What?" She went to a shelf.  
  
At this time, somewhere in San Francisco  
  
"Master, we have the girl."  
  
"Good work." The man nodded.  
  
"What would you like us to do now?"  
  
"Measure what damage her presence has caused us, see if it's repairable."  
  
"And the girl?" The man paused.  
  
"Once you've cleared everything? Just get rid of her. Make her an example to the witches out there, no one messes with us."  
  
A few minutes later – Halliwell Manor  
  
In the living room, Paige sat reading some files for work. She was still so glad to be a social worker… and that they allowed the sudden departures happening from time to time. Away from her sight, Prue had orbed in. She crossed her fingers internally and whispered a spell. She looked out at her Aunt in time to see it had taken effect. She took a deep breath and orbed from the kitchen to the living room.  
  
"Aunt Paige, something's happened…"  
  
While Prue had gone to the manor, Leo had orbed to Piper's apartment. She was asleep, hunched over schoolbooks. Leo couldn't help smiling at the image. He crouched at her side and gently awakened her.  
  
"Hey…" she smiled.  
  
"Hi," he smiled before turning serious again.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Persia… someone's taken her." He could swear she started to hyperventilate. "Don't worry, we'll get her back. Prue went to get Paige."  
  
"Get? You can't bring her here, she can't know…"  
  
"Prue has cast a spell on her." Before he could explain more, the bright lights of orbs invaded the room and presently deposited Prue and Paige. Before Piper could do anything, Paige was hugging her.  
  
"Piper, don't worry, we'll get her back. That's what we do best, remember?" Piper hugged her tight, not really understanding what was happening but not caring much either. Her daughter was missing, and she was glad to be able to hug her youngest sister. At that moment, L/Phoebe and P/Eric orbed in.  
  
"Hey, we just heard…" L/Phoebe started to say before she noticed Paige standing there. She started to adjust her aim toward Leo, but then Paige spoke.  
  
"Phoebe, Eric, thank goodness. We can use all the help we can get. Let's go to the shop, we can get some answers there."  
  
The two whitelighters looked at each other, wondering what was going on. Paige orbed off first, followed by Leo. The three looked to Prue.  
  
"I cast a spell on her, made her believe she knew all along. We couldn't afford to have to sidestep all the time. She'll forget it all by the time I end it." With that she orbed off, and the still-whitelighters did the same, taking C/Piper along.  
  
Roxane Shealy's home  
  
"You've really improved, that's amazing," Simon smiled.  
  
"Thanks," she smiled. "But like your mom told me, it could very well be I'll be the last one of my line with any kind of 'muse' abilities. That I'm able to use them at all is supposedly incredible."  
  
"I've always said you were incredible." She blushed a bit. Since they'd first met, they'd become very close friends. Simon had begun to get feelings for her almost instantly, but he didn't know how to tell her. He wasn't sure if it was mutual, so that didn't help to build his confidence either. He'd liked girls before, but not like this.  
  
"It's just so much new stuff to take in. A whole other world that exists right under our noses."  
  
"Yeah. I was six when we moved in with them, I didn't know. I didn't find out until about two years ago. But I sort of had a weird experience or two."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, there's that time with the scars and then… When I was seven, we were playing hide and seek and I hid in mom's closet. I saw this big trunk and I was… mystified. But it was locked. A few days later, I went back and I managed to pick the lock. I found the Book. I tried to pick it up and it flew right out of my hands. Non-family members apparently can't pick it up. I didn't know that, so I spent like an hour chasing after it. Finally Prue walked in on me. She put it back. She swore she wouldn't tell, and she didn't. I wasn't really close to her, but after that, we managed to get closer."  
  
"My family, well it's just me and my dad. After my mom died, he got kind of distant. It's mostly me. But your family's been really nice to me, made me feel like I was one of you."  
  
"Well, you almost are." She lowered her head. "Something wrong?"  
  
"My dad said he was being transferred again. We'll move…"  
  
"What?" Simon was shocked. Also, he didn't want to lose her before he even could tell her how he felt. "But you've only been here like… barely a year!"  
  
"I know, but that's how his job is. He moves, I follow. Believe me, I want to stay, but…"  
  
"Then stay! You can move in with me and the others. You said you felt like one of us, well we feel the same way. I'm sure the others won't mind another roomie." Roxane smiled, but she was still hesitant. "Please?" Finally, she nodded.  
  
Norwood's San Francisco  
  
"How did she disappear? Fade, ray, shimmer?" L/Phoebe asked her niece/charge.  
  
"I-It was like… Quick fade from the edges and down, then she was gone."  
  
"Why would they take her?" C/Piper asked, Leo sitting at her side. "Why her?"  
  
"Well, they tend to take us because something in us is… different…" Paige spoke, her eyes suddenly wide as she looked to her niece.  
  
"She is different. She wasn't supposed to be born because mom died…"  
  
"But you saved her, returned her to the world," Paige continued.  
  
"Now she has a future here," C/Piper added.  
  
"And someone's not happy about that," Prue finished. "But who?"  
  
Demon's lair  
  
Persia sat in the cold dark room. She was scared. She couldn't even manage to calm herself with images. She may have been "brave", but she was still only six. There were some things that still scared her. Monsters she knew were under her bed, spiders, and being trapped somewhere without her family. She could orb out of here, but what good would that do her? She couldn't orb to a place in particular, the manor, the shop, home… she'd be lost.  
  
There was a noise and she whimpered, balling up in the corner. She heard a door open, someone cry out, then the door closing again. The person who'd cried was breathing heavily. Persia stood and padded across her 'cell' to a crack in the wall. She stared through it and saw a guy about the twins' age lying on the ground, shaking and whimpering.  
  
"Are you okay?" Persia whispered. The man looked around for the source of the noise. "Hi? Are you okay?" she repeated. The man finally saw the crack. Persia could see he was injured. Still the sound of another prisoner's voice gave him a certain strength, enough to pull himself toward the crack. He looked into her little face and she smiled. "Hi."  
  
"Who are you?" he asked kindly.  
  
"Persia."  
  
"That's a pretty name. I'm Kurt."  
  
"Kurt," she repeated. "Did they hurt you?" He managed a smile, perhaps only to reassure her.  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"Why did they take you?" He seemed to think how much was safe to reveal.  
  
"Well… I'm sort of… a witch."  
  
"You are?" Persia relaxed before orbing from her cell to his. "I am too!" He appeared only half-surprised. "I want to go home…" she sniffled, losing her brief courage. "But I can't orb there, I'm not able yet.  
  
"I can take you there." Suddenly they heard footsteps, a door opened. The light they saw told them it was the door to Persia's cell.  
  
"She's gone!" A voice yelled.  
  
"Quick!" Kurt whispered to the young witch. She grabbed his hand and squeezed her eyes shut, orbing with him.  
  
The guards went to find their boss, already knowing they'd likely be killed when they found out the girl had disappeared. And they were right. Once they'd been disposed of, the boss got to work, making a new plan.  
  
At the manor  
  
The group had returned here after they had reached their development. Piper and Leo were sitting together on the couch in the attic, Eric was downstairs making tea, and Paige and Phoebe were at the Book. All but Paige couldn't help but feel like they were back to the ways of times not so long ago. It felt good, though they knew it wouldn't last.  
  
Prue joined them, having returned from checking on Molly and Olivia. They were taken to Sherry's home in Chicago. Prue saw her almost like an aunt or grandmother, and she felt so safe there it was only natural she'd take the girls there.  
  
"Anything?" she asked her aunts hopefully. Eric orbed in with the tea at that time.  
  
"No. But we'll find her sweetie, I promise," Phoebe told her.  
  
"Cecilia? What is it?" Paige spoke, looking to the door where her ten-year-old Birdy stood in her nightgown. She'd been sick the past few days, sleeping most of the day. "Having trouble breathing again? Do you want your medicine?" Her eyes were empty as she looked at Paige, and Phoebe understood.  
  
"It's not her, she's not in control. Someone else is at the wheel." All stood.  
  
"Smart little whitelighter. Now be quiet," 'Cecilia' raised her hand and Phoebe was sent flying back, thankfully missing the windows as she hit the wall and fell unconscious. Paige crouched at her side.  
  
"Who are you?" Piper asked. 'She' turned her head sideways toward her and smirked.  
  
"I have something that belongs to you." She turned to them, raising her head again as she looked to the worried parents. "And if you want her back you'll do as I say."  
  
"Why did you take her?" Prue asked, "She's just a little girl." 'Cecilia' sharply turned to her.  
  
"No, she's more than that. Only she wasn't supposed to be until someone went and played with the timeline. She was not meant to be, but now she is, and we cannot accept it."  
  
"Well deal, because she is here, she is in this world," Prue continued. 'Cecilia' smirked once again, each time sending a chill up their spines.  
  
"Not for long." Leo lost it at that, almost launching at 'her'. Eric stopped him.  
  
"Leo, stop! It's still Cecilia, she's being controlled. If you hurt her…" Leo regained himself. "What do you want?"  
  
"To make a trade." 'She' opened her hand before herself, a piece of parchment appearing in it. She threw it to Eric and he caught it. "I'll be in touch." And with that, the spirit left Cecilia and she fainted. Prue went to her side. At the same time Phoebe awoke, and Glen entered running, a nasty gash on his forehead.  
  
"Glen, what happened?" Paige asked her husband.  
  
"I'm not sure. I was checking on her and she got up and she hit me. What's going on?"  
  
"Demon took Persia, he used Cecilia to speak to us. He knew we wouldn't hurt her," Prue explained, cradling her young cousin.  
  
"We have a situation," Eric spoke up then. They looked to him, holding the paper.  
  
"What does he want?" Piper asked.  
  
"The Charmes Ones' powers… or he'll kill Persia."  
  
Somewhere in San Francisco  
  
"You don't look too good," Persia looked at Kurt as they sat huddled under some bleachers. He had lost a lot of blood and he was getting pale. "We have to go to a hospital."  
  
"We can't," he grunted, trying to diminish the pain. It wasn't working.  
  
"Why not?" He hesitated.  
  
"I ran away. I came to San Francisco because my mom and my sister live here. I've been living with my dad since the divorce. But I couldn't stand it with my father anymore, so I ran off. But then those guys came and took me. I have no idea why."  
  
"If we go to the hospital, they'll call your father." He nodded. "Well… if you can help me get home, my daddy can heal you. He's a whitelighter!"  
  
"That's how you can orb." She nodded. "You're pretty smart for your age."  
  
"I think it's because… I'm supposed to be older. I don't understand it, but…" She shrugged. He smiled and winced at the same time.  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
"Don't worry about it."  
  
"So how do we get home?"  
  
"I just need to rest a little bit, okay? Then we can go. Hey, are you hungry?" She nodded rapidly. He smiled. He held out his hand and with a 'pop', an apple appeared in it. She squealed.  
  
Back at the manor  
  
"We can't give him the powers," Phoebe sighed. "We can't let him do anything to Persia either."  
  
"There has to be a way to find him, where he's set up camp, try a rescue," Eric tried.  
  
"We still don't know who he is."  
  
"No, but maybe we can find out… try to locate him through Cecilia. He said he'd be in contact. If he's used her, and whether or not he'll take her again, he could have left something behind that we could use to track him," Prue spoke up. There was a shared look.  
  
"It's worth a try," Paige nodded. And not long after, they'd found him. Still they had to figure out who'd go… and what to do with Cecilia.  
  
"If we leave her here, he'll know we're gone if he comes back. If we bring her along, he'll be able to see where we are," Leo explained.  
  
"I'll stay here with her," Paige told them. Phoebe, Eric, Leo and Prue would go get Persia. Glen and Piper were told to stay away from Paige and Cecilia, for their safety. The two were left in the attic, where Paige did the necessary, tying the girl to a chair placed in the middle of a crystal cage. She wasn't sure if the demon would come, but if he did, she'd be ready. And he did come, half an hour later. When 'Cecilia' woke up, the trap was closed with the last crystal activating it. 'She' couldn't get away.  
  
"Welcome," Paige stared into her daughter's blue eyes, at the thing who'd dared invade her.  
  
In the living room  
  
"So… you're like him, aren't you?" Glen asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Peter… Eric." C/Piper looked at him.  
  
"How…"  
  
"He told me, in June, with Helena's coma." Piper nodded. "You're Piper then… and Lauren is Phoebe?" That's right.  
  
"But Paige doesn't know does she?" Piper shook her head. "Now allowed, I remember."  
  
"Unfortunately. Prue cast a spell on her to deal with this. She thinks she's always known. But after this is over, she'll reverse it. She won't remember. She'll be thinking we're still whitelighters again… ex-whitelighter in my case."  
  
"It must be hard."  
  
"We're able to make sure they're okay. It's more than we could have hoped for."  
  
At the demon's lair  
  
When the four of them had orbed in, they'd immediately been launched in battle as guards raised swords. "Great…" Prue had sighed.  
  
Eventually though, the guards were eliminated and they were able to move forward. They found cells and looked through each of them. Each one was empty, but in the last one, they found a blue vest – it was Persia's.  
  
Finally they found a large room, at the end of it, a man sat, eyes closed and head down – it had to be the demon. But then, more demon guards came. Once again, battle was engaged.  
  
Not too far from there, under the bleachers, Persia sat close to Kurt, shivering from the cold. He had his arm around her to try and keep her warm. He told her that soon they'd be able to go, that he'd get her home.  
  
At the manor, in the attic  
  
"What did Persia do to you?" Paige asked. Still the person controlling Cecilia remained quiet. "You know, I have ways to hurt you without causing even the slightest discomfort in my little girl. I suggest you don't force my hand. Now talk."  
  
"Fine. Doesn't matter anyway, I'll still win and you'll still lose. You want to know? I'll tell you. Nothing interesting. On your side you'd even be proud."  
  
Under the bleachers  
  
"Are you sure you're ready to go?" Persia asked. She helped Kurt stand.  
  
"Yeah. Hey listen, I wanted to tell you… thanks."  
  
"No problem," she smiled.  
  
"Are YOU sure you can do this?" She'd told him what she planned to do, and no matter how confidant he may have been, he still wasn't too sure what would happen.  
  
"Definitely," she grinned before closing her eyes and drawing out the image required.  
  
At the lair  
  
The four of them were getting tired, but they knew they couldn't stop. When an opportunity presented itself though, Prue lifted herself out of the pack and to the demon at the source of their problems. She stared at him long and hard, then stabbed him with the sword she'd stolen from a guard. Behind her, she heard swords clatter on the ground. She turned to find all the guards had disappeared. "Uh."  
  
"What do we do now?" Leo asked.  
  
"Go back to the manor I guess. Persia's not here. We'll try finding her from there," Prue sighed.  
  
The Attic  
  
Paige loosed the ropes, taking Cecilia in her arms. A few seconds later, her eyes blinked open. "Hey Birdy," she kissed her little cheeks.  
  
"Hi Mom…" she spoke sleepily. "I had a weird dream…" she yawned.  
  
"You'll tell me all about it in the morning, alright?" she orbed her back to her room, putting her to bed. She made her way downstairs, still with her cane. When she got there, she saw the others had returned. "What happened? You didn't find Persia?"  
  
"She wasn't there. But she had been. We found her sweater," Leo explained. Piper was holding it now. Paige went to her sister.  
  
"Can I borrow this for a minute?" Piper relented it eventually. Paige took it to a nearby table where a map and crystal already waited. She began scrying for her niece. What the results gave her made her happy and confused at the same time. "She's near, and she's moving fast." Piper stood. "She's coming on to the street." Leo went to open the door, looking around for her.  
  
"Hi Daddy!" they heard from outside. Piper looked at Prue sending her a thought she wished she didn't have to. Prue nodded and cast the counter spell. Paige wouldn't remember knowing about them.  
  
Just as the spell had taken effect, they were presented with a sight almost glorious. Up the walkway, the stairs, and through the doors, in came Persia with an unknown teen guy riding on a tall horse.  
  
"Dad, help him!" Persia told Leo. He helped him off the horse. "Prue!" she exclaimed. The horse lowered himself and she jumped off, the horse disappearing.  
  
She threw herself into her sister's arms and they hugged tightly. "I was so worried about you! I'm glad you're back," she cried.  
  
"It's good to be back," she nodded. Prue laughed. Persia was passed around, each one hugging her. C/Piper could only hug her so much but she was just glad she was home and she was safe. She was put back on the ground, where she waited as her father healed Kurt. Once he was done, she ran to hug him.  
  
"You got yourself out all on your own, uh? That's my girl," he held her. She giggled.  
  
"I had help. This is Kurt," she nodded to her fellow escapee as he sat up. "Now we can call your mom and it'll all be better." He stood and came to take her hand.  
  
"Thank you for saving me, Superwitch," he winked. She smiled.  
  
"Thank you for returning her to us," Leo told him.  
  
"I'm just happy to be almost home."  
  
"I can drive you there," Prue spoke up. Kurt reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to her.  
  
"One of my sister's letters…" he explained. Prue read the address and almost did a double take.  
  
"Either I'm REALLY tired, or I know this address." She looked up at Kurt. "Is your last name McKiernan?"  
  
"W-well, I use Jones but yet," he blinked. "How…"  
  
"This is your lucky day," Prue told him as she took his hand and orbed them to the back door as she did whenever she dropped off Cecilia. "Nervous?" she asked him.  
  
"Kind of," he admitted.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," she patted him on the shoulder. "And I know it's been said already but thank you for bringing my sister back. You're welcome over anytime." She smiled and orbed away. Kurt breathed one good shot and knocked.  
  
The porch light came on, and he could see someone approaching. Someone looked through the blinds and a second later the door opened. "Kurt? What are you doing here?" Raina McKiernan hugged her son. He hugged her back.  
  
"Moving in, I hope." She pulled back.  
  
"Your father doesn't know you're here, does he?" He shook his head. "Well, I'll deal with him in the morning. I'm so glad you're here," she smiled.  
  
"KURT!" a voice screeched as little Reissy came running at her older brother, knocking him off his feet.  
  
"Hey Dino," he laughed. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for one of your hugs?"  
  
"Are you staying this time?"  
  
"You bet. I'm not going anywhere." He stood, raising her to her feet as well.  
  
"Come on, I have so much to tell you!"  
  
A few days later – Henry, Merilyn, Helena, Simon, and Roxane's apartment  
  
"So over here is the kitchen. The sink should be stayed away from right now. The super swears he's coming any day now, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Don't worry though, that's the only problem, the rest is fine, almost perfect you could say," Helena was giving Roxane the tour, even though she had been there before. But she felt it was only necessary to do it now.  
  
The girls left the heavy lifting to the guys. Prue delivered lunch and some welcome presents for Roxane. Paige dropped off something from the family. Cecilia had recovered fine, didn't even really remember what she'd gone through.  
  
Simon was feeling nervous at first, having her there now. But then she surprised him with a kiss on the cheek and an invitation to a romantic dinner. Not unlike with Henry and Merilyn, Roxane seemed to have caught on to Simon's feelings just fine on her own, and she reciprocated them to his surprise and full joy.  
  
That night – Prue's apartment  
  
"Prue?"  
  
"Yes Persia?"  
  
"What's that?" She smiled, hugging her closer. Persia had joined her every night since her return. For herself, but maybe for Prue too.  
  
"Those are the tears of a whitelighter."  
  
"The whitelighter's sad?"  
  
"No, not at all… not really. See she has a baby girl, but she can't tell her she's her mommy."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well, she's not allowed. And when she's worried about her baby, she wants to tell her she's gonna be okay, as a mommy would, but she can't."  
  
"I'm sure she knows," she spoke after a pause.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure she does." 


	23. Ep 10 Unveil

July 10 2015 – Halliwell Manor, Attic  
  
"Okay, what's going on? I was in the middle of traffic when I was bombarded with thoughts," Prue came through the door. There she was met with the awaiting Henry, Helena, Simon, Emily, and Charlotte. "Oh. What's up?" she sat.  
  
"It's Mom. She's been acting strange these past few days," Helena explained.  
  
"Strange how?"  
  
"Strange like we've considered anything from evil double to possessing spirit. Something's not right," Helena shook her head.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"She's been distancing these past weeks. It was little by little, but it was there. She's looking like someone with a mission on her mind, and not one we'd be wise to stand in the way of. She's becoming reckless about it, but we don't know what 'it' is," Simon explained in turn. Prue considered this for some time.  
  
"You've known her the longest, what do you think is happening? Has she ever acted this way before?" Henry asked. Prue grew quiet.  
  
"I've only known Aunt Paige to truly act out in any way resembling what you've described twice…" She wouldn't say it. Simon understood.  
  
"Eric, Piper, Phoebe…" Prue nodded.  
  
"I could see why she'd be panicking now though. Wedges of five years passing have always been tough on her. And the fifteenth of Mom and Aunt's Phoebe's is coming fast."  
  
"But she's working on something. She has to be…" Emily started.  
  
"The question is what," Charlotte finished.  
  
"Well, maybe we should find out," Prue stood.  
  
"We can't just ask her," Helena stood as well.  
  
"And we won't. Now… where is she?"  
  
Chinatown – Shop  
  
Paige walked in, hoping deeply the charm would hold and keep her legs strong through this. She knew this type of thing came with a price, but it would be small in comparison.  
  
She kept a strong face, doing her best not to draw attention to herself. What she needed here, the shopkeeper might not be willing to part with, but it was the most important part for her spell, so she'd have to convince her somehow.  
  
"You've come for the bones," a voice spoke from behind her, peaceful and strong. Paige turned. The old woman smiled. "There's no use hiding."  
  
"I need them," Paige spoke slowly. The woman laughed.  
  
"I cannot allow them to leave this ground. They have been entrusted to my family for generations going back almost five hundred years. I can give you something else that will work just as well." Paige paused, then finally nodded. She'd have to hope it would do. She hadn't come this far to lose everything.  
  
Shortly after, manor attic  
  
"Anything?" Helena asked her cousin as she held Henry's hand, trying to locate Paige.  
  
"If you keep making me break concentration, I'll never find anyone," Prue pointed out.  
  
"Sorry," Helena sat back.  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud crashing noise coming from below, and the house shook violently for nearly ten seconds. Objects were falling all over the place as the six in the attic tried to get balance back. Just as suddenly as the shaking had started, it stopped. It left behind the chaos of the aftermath.  
  
"Is everyone alright?" Prue asked as she stood, looking around.  
  
"OW!" came Charlotte's whimper as she sat up. There was a long gash along her left arm. Emily had some scratches herself, they all did, having been unable to duck everything.  
  
"What was that all about?" Simon asked. "I mean I'm not an expert at these sorts of things, but that didn't feel like your basic San Francisco earthquake."  
  
"It wasn't," Prue shook her head. "It was a spell. A big one."  
  
"Mom…" Helena spoke to herself knowingly, making her way to the attic door through the debris, the others following. The rest of the house seemed just as affected. Helena got to the door of her parents' room, but it was locked. "Grab on everyone." As a group, they orbed in.  
  
"Oh man…" Prue breathed as she took in the sight. Among the mess, her aunt lied motionless, blood running down her face in thin lines from places here and there.  
  
"Mom!" Helena ran to her side, shakily feeling for a pulse. She breathed. "She's alive."  
  
"Help me get her on the bed guys," Prue took charge without a question from the others. Paige was lifted to the bed, which had thankfully been spared. Without having asked for it, she felt Henry take her hand. With the other, she worked to heal her beloved Aunt. She could see why the others had been worried. If she hadn't been so busy lately, she could have noticed it too. But it wasn't time for blame now. And she was waking up. She didn't speak.  
  
"Mom, what did you do?" Helena asked, feeling her heart start to beat at the proper rate again now that her mother was awake and well.  
  
"I did it… I-I finally did it…" she whispered, sounding almost delirious. The others shared a look.  
  
"Did what?" Emily asked.  
  
"It took almost fifteen years, but I did it."  
  
"Did what? What is she talking about?" Simon asked. Prue though had understood perfectly.  
  
"Oh man, oh man…"  
  
Cara/Piper's apartment  
  
"Thanks Rianne," Leo told the fellow whitelighter.  
  
"No problem. What's wrong with them?" she asked. She had been a whitelighter for almost a year now, but some things still baffled her at times. This was one such time. She had been with the two, Lauren and Peter, when out of the blue they'd just dropped to the ground unconscious. Unsure what else to do about it, she orbed them to Cara's apartment. She'd only ever known her to be an ex-whitelighter, but she was a friend of Leo, Lauren, and Peter, and those three had been like her mentors in this whole deal. They'd helped her get through the tough times of adjusting with not only having died, but also been sort of 'reborn', unable to communicate with her family. Imagine her surprise when she arrived at the apartment and found Leo at the side of a similarly sort-of-comatose Cara.  
  
"I'm not sure," Leo spoke slowly. "Don't tell anyone about this, alright?" She nodded and orbed off. Leo looked to the three of them, lying side by side on the bed. Who could have done this to them? He focused, sending off a thought he hoped would reach his eldest daughter. A few seconds later, she orbed in.  
  
"Dad, I was about to call you. We have a… situation," she spotted the three unconscious on the bed.  
  
"I don't know what happened to them…" Prue sat on the edge of the mattress.  
  
"I think I do." Leo looked at her. "Aunt Paige… she tried to bring them back… this happened instead." Prue looked up at him.  
  
"Alright… go talk to her, I'll see what I can find out."  
  
"We can't leave them alone."  
  
"Who else knows about them?"  
  
"Glen, Henry…"  
  
"Get them here."  
  
Soon after, at the manor  
  
"I know what you're going to say…" Paige spoke evenly to her niece. She lied in a sitting position in her bed as Prue sat at the end of it.  
  
"Do you? Aunt Paige, you almost got yourself killed! And us! Did you think about that?"  
  
"I didn't know you guys were here," she closed her eyes.  
  
"So again I say, you could have died!"  
  
"It was a risk I was willing to take – for them. And it WORKED." She sounded like a completely different person, not her beloved aunt. Yet at the same time, it was still her.  
  
"That's just it – It didn't." The two looked up to find Leo was there.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Prue asked.  
  
"Yes. It's not good. The spell brought down their souls, but their bodies…"  
  
"So where are they?" Prue asked as she tempted a glance to her aunt. She was silent, and she'd be crying soon, Prue knew it.  
  
"That's sort of a problem. We don't know. We know they've come down into people, whomever they found I guess. But the souls are… buried dormant in them. They'll be harder to find."  
  
"Great…" Prue sighed. "They can be anywhere."  
  
"No, not necessarily. They could very well have come into people in San Francisco, since it WAS their intended target."  
  
"Try to find them. I need to talk to my aunt." Leo nodded and left. Prue turned back to Paige.  
  
"I thought… I'd finally done it…" she whimpered almost. Prue came to sit closer, taking her hands. Paige looked at her. "I wanted to give her back to you, to Persia. And Phoebe to the other three." Prue noticed she didn't mention Eric, but she left it alone for now. "I'm so sorry… I made a mess of it."  
  
"Aunt Paige, I'm not mad. I just wish I could understand… What's gotten into you? This isn't like you."  
  
"When you met Persia, how did you feel?" The question seemed odd at first, but as she started thinking of the answer, it began to piece up.  
  
"Like I was… more complete." Paige nodded.  
  
"She was your sister. And she may not have been in your life for some time, but still before she was there, she was a missing part of you." Prue nodded. "What would you do, what would you feel like, if she died." Prue's throat was dry.  
  
"I couldn't stand it."  
  
"I didn't have Piper and Phoebe in my life for nearly 25 years. I didn't know for sure what they might have been like, I didn't know exactly that they existed, but I knew I was missing something. When I met them, I started feeling like… this made sense, the three of us." She paused, and her eyes became filled with rage for a moment. "And then the demon came, and he… ripped them away from me, from you. I felt… broken. Malfunctional, dismantled. I couldn't stand for that feeling. And even more I couldn't stand what it would do to this family. So I made a promise, to all of us… that someday, somehow, I'd bring them back. We'd be a family again." Prue ran a hand through her long hair.  
  
"We have to find out where the souls went. There's… there's no guarantee we'll be able to keep them around though."  
  
"I know. I just want to make sure they're okay. I have to know that, if only that."  
  
"We'll find them, aunt Paige."  
  
"I know you will. You are your mother's daughter. And she could do it all… they both could."  
  
The next day – Country club in San Francisco  
  
"Victoria Elizabeth Rowley, I know you're in there. You come out this instant," Mrs. Rowley called through the bathroom door. Victoria was indeed inside, but the fourteen-year-old wouldn't come out. For one thing, her mother was deep in plans for her upcoming birthday and it didn't appear like Victoria herself was even needed. "Victoria!" And for another, she was having conflicting thoughts about whether that was actually her name. "Alright, why don't we make a deal? I'm going back to the reception room. You be there in five minutes tops." She waited until she heard her mother's clicking heel footsteps become distant, then silent.  
  
She crawled from her balled-up position in the corner and to a bench in front of one of the mirrors. She sat on it, facing the tall lit mirror. She looked at her face, her long pale blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes… And she didn't feel right. She looked away from the mirror, rubbing at her eyes. Names began to echo from deep within her mind… Prue, Persia, Leo, Cara… Piper.  
  
Home of James & Renee Elliott  
  
"Keisha, that was incredible. Those lessons are really paying off, aren't they?" Renee Elliott told her fourteen-year-old granddaughter. Her little Kiki had always been fascinated by her Nana's piano playing, and she'd been taking lessons for about two years now. Keisha smiled, standing to hug the woman.  
  
"Happy Birthday Nana."  
  
"Thank you. Speaking of which, I believe YOUR birthday is, what, four days away?" Keisha grinned. "Are we still on for breakfast?" she asked as they went to the food table.  
  
"Always. Tradition is tradition. I wouldn't miss it for the world, Grams… Nana." She blinked. That was odd.  
  
"You alright Kiki?"  
  
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Be right back." She went off, hoping that would be the last time those thoughts came to throw her off-balance.  
  
Basketball court  
  
"Candy, over here!" Willow Zhang called to her friend Candace. The movement followed her words almost instantly, and Willow caught the ball as it was thrown to her.  
  
"Go Willow!" their team's watching supporters called from the side of the court. The stands were an accident waiting to happen, no one had dared sit in them since that accident three years ago. They hadn't been able to replace them yet, which was partly what this particular game was for, to raise funds and get new stands. And with Willow playing, they would be getting nothing short of an amazing game. She was their star player. She didn't disappoint, throwing the ball and scoring the winning shot. The nineteen-year-old was encircled by her cheering team. She laughed.  
  
She stayed after the game, to shoot a while longer. She was also sort of hoping she could figure out why she'd been having the impression she could fly… and more importantly, that she was supposed to be a man.  
  
The next day, July 12 2025 – Manor attic  
  
"So… Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe are… here?" Helena asked Prue once she'd been told what was happening.  
  
"Yeah, sort of." Prue knew she couldn't tell the whole story, and what made it worse was the next thing she said.  
  
"Wow… That's good, isn't it? I mean… I know I'd love it if my dad was here…"  
  
'He is here, Len…' Prue thought to herself, almost having to turn away so she wouldn't see the shaking in her face. "They're here, but… they won't be able to stay." Prue continued to page through the Book as Helena was scrying over a map of San Francisco. "Did you have any idea she'd do something like this?" Helena didn't look away from the crystal. "If you don't want to say anything, that's fine. And I won't read you, I promise." She remained silent a while longer, then…  
  
"Read me. Maybe it'll be easier that way."  
  
JULY 2010   
  
Helena had been a mere four year old when her aunts were killed. Her mother tried to shield her from the effects it was having on their family for that reason. But still there are things she saw then which stayed with her for years before she finally understood them.  
  
On that day, July 15th, she'd watched as Prue had run out of the Dean basement, she'd watched from the window as her mother tried to talk Prue down from her tree. When she'd succeeded, holding the young witch, the look on her face had been one of determination, speaking volumes about what she knew in her heart had to be done.  
  
And when, after Helena had been taken to her grandparents' home for a few days, Paige came over to request Helena try to get a vision off her aunt's pregnancy test. Helena saw another look, this time of desperation. There were many looks over the years, and Helena often felt she was the only one who saw each one of them, and recognized them for what they were. But she never quite put it together until just about five years ago.  
  
It was the tenth anniversary, and she never told anyone what happened that day. She was fourteen, and she was in a time before the witchcraft had been returned to her. Maybe this was why she never spoke a word of it, never even telling her mother she'd seen it.  
  
It was almost midnight, but she'd still been up. She didn't remember why, just that she was. If she hadn't felt a chill and risen to close the window, she wouldn't have seen Paige sneaking out. That was the only word able to describe what she was doing. And whatever pushed her to climb down the side of the house and follow would remain a mystery as well. She was just thankful her mother was going by foot, or else she'd never have been able to keep up.  
  
For almost twenty minutes, Paige walked and Helena tiptoed along from a distance. Finally, she was following into the cemetery, the one they all visited so often. She ended up perched on a tree branch, looking into the skylight of the mausoleum which held many of her family. She watched and listened as, for hours, her mother chanted, threw items from a bowl at the names on the wall. Eventually, shortly before five, she stood and left. It was during the walk back that she picked up on the mystery scent, the one she caught on her mother every July 16th, the one she'd catch on her more and more after that. She understood this was something she'd done every year since 2010, and once she got her powers back she knew it was attempts of resurrection.  
  
It was hard to explain, but after that night, she became even closer to her mother. She felt as though she was the only one who would truly understand the utter despair which moved into her on July 15 2010.  
  
"Having them back… she wants nothing else more than that, I know it. I've always tried to make her happy over the years, take her mind off it. But I've come to understand that may never happen."  
  
"She's incomplete," Prue recalled from their talk.  
  
"Indefinitely. Let's hope we can give her at least some peace today." And the crystal hit the map.  
  
Tess & Mariner's – Formerly P3  
  
Victoria looked around. She'd heard of this place from some of her school buddies, but there wasn't a chance her mother could allow her to go. It wasn't a bad place, but it suffered from being too "common" according to her. Today though, she'd been drawn to it. The feeling was odd and frightening, but impossible to ignore.  
  
Tess & Mariner was a club friendly to a younger crowd, welcoming patrons between the ages of approximately fourteen and twenty-five. It had been running for about two years, and was famous for its cookies. It was host to bands every now and then, which was usually when the place packed up the most.  
  
Victoria sat at the bar, between two other girls. "What would you like?" the bartender asked. Victoria looked at the woman, sort of lost. "Great, another one," she sort of nodded to the girls on either side of her. They exchanged looks, trying to figure out why each of them was suddenly getting very comfortable. This would have to wait, as the room and its occupants froze.  
  
In the back, Helena, Prue, Henry and Diana stood. "Alright, now what?" Henry asked.  
  
"Simple. Find who lights up," Prue told him, taking a handful of powder from a pouch and blowing it out. The group watched as it flowed over the crowd. It seemed to search at first, but before long it had taken a direction. As they watched, three girls at the bar were momentarily lit up. "Alright, good." She looked to Henry, then turned to Helena. "Okay, Len, take Di into a smaller area, make her unfreeze the place then you two orb home."  
  
"But…" she started to protest, but she knew it was no use. "Fine." Helena and Diana did as told and soon the room was alive and the two witches were gone.  
  
"Should have told her," Henry told his cousin as they started making their way to the bar.  
  
"Don't think I didn't want to. You know that's not how it works. WE can't tell anyone. So it was better to send her home, just in case."  
  
"I know. I just wish it didn't have to be this way," they neared the bar.  
  
"You and me both." They'd arrived and Prue didn't lose time, tapping the three girls on their respective shoulders. They turned to the two of them.  
  
"Prue, Henry," they spoke at once, their facial expressions showing how they knew this information but weren't sure how.  
  
"Okay, they're asserting themselves," Prue spoke to herself as she and Henry blinked in surprise at being IDed. "Come with us?" she asked the three girls. They got up at once. "Okay," Prue breathed as the five of them went to the back alley and orbed off toward Cara/Piper's apartment.  
  
When they arrived, the three girls were helped into a sitting position as they felt dizzy. Leo stood and looked to his daughter. "Prue?"  
  
"We got 'em…" she nodded. "What do we do now?"  
  
"Do you have the spell?" he asked. "Then go for it…" Prue just stared at him. "What?"  
  
"Well… what about Aunt Paige?"  
  
"Prue…"  
  
"She needs to talk to them… even if just for a minute."  
  
"It's not that easy…"  
  
"Then make it that easy!"  
  
"Prue, you know I want nothing but this family's happiness." He paused. "I'll see what I can do. You two go, I'll take care of things." Prue hugged her father, kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Thanks Dad." She took her cousin's hand and orbed away. Leo looked to the three girls sitting on the couch, looking to the three unconscious on the bed.  
  
"We need to talk." The girls turned to him. "You need to make a decision."  
  
Three days later – July 15th 2025 – Cemetery  
  
The morning had come upon them even though they knew they weren't ready for it. They never would be. Everyone got ready with a definite decisiveness though it was standing on shaky legs. Prue had taken it upon herself to make sure everything went without a hitch, or at the very least with a minimal number of them.  
  
The Deans had stayed at the manor the previous night, as well as all the other kids. This way, they could all leave at once… and they'd be less alone. Leo hadn't been seen in three days, they figured whatever he had in mind wasn't ready yet.  
  
They left at eleven, the family in three cars. It wasn't anything big, just them. They got to the mausoleum, filed in. They stood in front of the plaques which stood before what held their loved ones. They were silent for quite some time.  
  
They heard the door open and turned to find Leo walk in with Victoria, Keisha, and Willow. Paige looked at them, knowing why they were there, but not understanding why there were three. Prue wordlessly came to stand in front of the three. They smiled and nodded. Prue closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt it… her soul. It was an odd sensation to say the least. The three girls' eyes shuddered closed as Prue's connection to the second souls they held was made. At once, their heads jerked back and the three souls came out of Victoria, Keisha and Willow. They in turn stumbled back and into a sitting position on the ground. Before them, three columns of light began to take shape… Piper, Phoebe, and finally Eric. No one spoke or really moved for some time.  
  
Paige looked at the three of them there, trying and failing not to cry. There were no words for how much seeing them there was doing her joy. She didn't even care at that point that soon they'd be gone again, they were here now. Helena couldn't tear her eyes away from the transparent form of her father standing there. It was him, exactly like in the pictures, down to the last strand of hair… her father. Persia observed Piper, and she knew this was her mother. She'd seen pictures and all, but this was different. There was something familiar about her, something perhaps the others hadn't managed to notice. And in that instance she knew – Cara was her mother too.  
  
For the Dean children, seeing their mother was different. She'd held her promise to Jason, and she'd visited him and the kids in their dreams when she could. No one else knew though. Still, to have her and the others there… it was something else.  
  
And then the spirits flew off, not to heaven again as most of them would believe, but to Cara/Piper's apartment and the bodies which were once again theirs. The 'crowd' in the mausoleum remained as they were for a moment. Then Leo went to help the three girls up.  
  
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Victoria Rowley, Keisha Elliott, and Willow Zhang. I've spoken with them, and they've agreed to be inhabited by the spirits again if it was needed at some point." There were smiles all around.  
  
When everyone started to leave, Paige remained behind, staring at the plaques. Glen stayed with her, encircling his wife with strong loving arms. "Are you okay?" She rested her head on his shoulder, calmed by his being there.  
  
"A little."  
  
"You know you really scared us all last week."  
  
"I know, and I'm sorry."  
  
"Will we be scared again?" There was a heavy pause. She turned to face him, still in his arms.  
  
"I-I can't promise that… Are you okay with that?"  
  
"I'll have to be." She smiled and kissed him. "Just promise to talk to me about these things, alright? I may be a mere mortal, but I'm also your husband and I don't want to lose you…"  
  
She kissed him again. "Cross my heart… I love you."  
  
"And I love you."  
  
"And for the record, you're not a 'mere mortal'… You've gotta be an angel, at least." The two laughed as they walked out, arm in arm.  
  
Cara/Piper's apartment  
  
Leo had returned to find that L/Phoebe and P/Eric were gone, and C/Piper was by the stove, stirring a spoon in what he could smell to be tomato soup. Without even turning, she spoke to him. "It always makes me feel better, even after all these years…"  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I've been better. But I guess it's not so bad. I got to rest a bit, right? I think I was just a bit… mixed up. I spent a week in this girl's body. I was partly dormant, but at the same time, I guess we were tied together. Her life… she's got it rough. I wish I could have done more for her…"  
  
"The whitelighter in you…" he placed his hands on her shoulders she nodded.  
  
"The mother in me, too." The words had barely been spoken that a small cloud of orbs swirled in and took form. They turned to the arriving witch.  
  
"Persia?" Leo spoke to her, though the six-year-old only had eyes for C/Piper. "Sweetheart what are you doing here?"  
  
Persia tip-toed to C/Piper and pulled on her arm lightly to make her crouch. She did. Persia looked at her intently, reached over and placed her hands on the woman's cheeks, observing her. Then she pulled her hands away, almost giving herself a nod. "You're her," she said quietly, kind of hopefully. "Right?" C/Piper knew what she meant, and the feelings going through her right now were of great range. She was happy that she could finally be honest with her, she was proud that her daughter had figured her out on her own, and she was scared of disappointing her.  
  
"Yeah…" she cried and nodded. That was all Persia needed and she was in her arms. C/Piper hugged her tight, even more so as she whispered…  
  
"I love you Mommy."  
  
At the manor  
  
The group returned, smaller this time. The Deans had gone home, and Prue had left with the girls. Helena went with her family, knowing she would be needed there that night. Simon went to see Roxanne. When they walked in though, the knew right away that something was off. This became even more evident as they walked into the living room.  
  
"What are those?" Cecilia asked, going to hide behind her father. Diana was already doing the same behind Paige. There were cracks in the air. That was the best way Helena knew to explain it. Spots in the air were black as night, with bright energy crackling around the edges.  
  
"Stay back," Helena held her hand up before them. Of the five of them, she knew she was the best to 'investigate' considering the disadvantages of the others.  
  
"Honey be careful…" Paige told her eldest daughter as she squeezed her little Diana's hand.  
  
"I know…" Helena spoke just before one crack began to shoot out bolts. One of them hit Helena, enveloped her, as it propelled her into the wall.  
  
"Helena!" she heard her sisters cry, like a distant echo, as all around her flashed, and dimmed, and blinked, and disappeared. Was she unconscious? She wasn't sure. But as darkness took over, she worried if things would be okay by light, if there'd be light again.  
  
---  
  
Okay, so coming up next will be the big ol' five-parter. I'm very excited about it :) Now just to let you know, I've written part one so far, and I'm starting up with part two now. I'm hoping to keep you guys on the one-a-week schedule, but it's possible I might not be able to keep up with it at some point. If that's the case, I promise I'll do my best to get it in as soon as possible :) 


	24. Ep 11 Cost of a Dream Life, part I

Courtney: Yes, I'm aware there are a lot of characters. I look at it this way: This story spans many years. One person is bound to meet many people in that time, and we've got a lot more than one person meeting people here ;) I've been trying to put together this character database, but it sort of takes a lot of time... if anyone is interested in helping out, let me know, k? It would be greatly appreciated...  
  
Okay, so this is the five-parter, "Cost of a Dream Life". It's a five-parter because well... the action will span five chapters! ;) This is the first part, "Brand New World". Hope you like it! I've been waiting to do this thing in a real long time :)  
  
----  
  
"Helena? Come on, wake up!" came a voice, pulling her slowly but surely back into consciousness. She moaned and finally her eyes began to open. Her vision was blurry at first.  
  
"Is everyone alright?" she asked, trying to get up. She'd been moved to the couch apparently as she felt it beneath her fingers.  
  
"What are you talking about? Of course we're alright. You on the other end will be late for your date if you don't get up from your nap Sleepyhead." The voice was unfamiliar as well as confusing in its response. Finally Helena's sight settled. Before her stood a girl of about 15 with medium-length wavy hair in a high ponytail and brown eyes. Something about her was familiar but she couldn't explain it.  
  
"Who are you?" Helena asked, stumbling to her feet, cautious without need to consider. The girl rolled her eyes and walked off.  
  
"Knock it off already? You're freaking me out." Helena watched her bound up the stairs. No sooner had she disappeared from her sight that three more stranger kids came in, this time a blonde 13-year-old boy and twin 11-year-old light brunettes.  
  
"Len, we're going to the ice cream store, wanna come?" one of the girls asked. Helena looked at them lost for words. Eventually, the three looked at each other and started for the door. "Later!" Helena stood in the silent room.  
  
"What is going on here?" she threw her hands up with a sigh.  
  
"Aww, sweetie, what's wrong?" a laughing voice startled her. She turned to see that someone else had come in, someone she knew for once.  
  
"Prue, thank goodness! Something really strange is going on. There's all these kids running around here, I don't know them but they seem to know me!"  
  
"Okay, relax, breathe. What kids?"  
  
"Well, first there was a girl like fifteen or sixteen, brown hair, kind of curly?"  
  
"Margot?" Prue asked. Helena wasn't sure what she meant, so she went on.  
  
"Then there was a boy about thirteen, blonde, blue eyes…"  
  
"Samuel… Helena, are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"I don't know!" she sighed and sat back on the couch. Prue sat with her.  
  
"Alright, calm down. What happened?" Helena looked at her cousin and then stood again.  
  
"Nothing… I'm just gonna…" she stumbled her way to the stairs and went up toward the second floor. She was going to what used to be her room, almost forgetting she didn't live there anymore. But she was distracted by the pictures on the wall, in particular the big one they changed every year of the whole family in front of the manor.  
  
Front and center were her mother and her aunts. Her aunts… they looked older, like her mother. And behind them, Jason, Leo (looking young like always), and… her father… Eric. He looked older, like her aunts. On the left, in front of Piper and Leo there were four girls: Prue, the twins from before, and another girl of about fourteen. In the middle, in front of Phoebe and Jason were Henry, Em and Charlie, and a fourteen-year-old boy she'd never seen. Then in front of both her parents, there she was with the curly brunette and the blonde boy.  
  
She heard laughing coming from a room down the hall, her old room. She approached slowly and looked in to find the curly brunette and two more kids, the two from the picture she hadn't seen yet. She shook her head and went down the stairs again, going out the front door. She stood in front of the manor. Everything looked the same, so what on earth was happening?  
  
"Froggy?" a voice broke through her daze. A male voice. No one but her mother called her that, so who… She turned and all but screamed her head off at the person she saw approaching, almost in slow motion in her mind. He stopped in front of her and she just stared at him. "Earth to Helena?" he waved his hand in front of her face. She caught with her own and held it… real. She looked up at him with warm tears in her eyes.  
  
"Dad…" she breathed, hugging him tight.  
  
"Hey…" he laughed lightly as he hugged her back. "You were only gone for twenty minutes, did you miss your old dad that much?"  
  
"You have no idea," she breathed. They pulled apart and he looked into her eyes.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"If you only knew…" she looked away.  
  
"Come on," he nodded, pulling her along, away from the manor.  
  
"Where are we going?" she looked at him. She kept skipping a beat every time she saw him there.  
  
"Home, where else?" he laughed. She followed as he walked into the house next to the manor. "Go get ready, then we'll talk." Right, the first girl… her sister? She'd said something about a date. She had no idea who she was supposed to go out with, but for now she decided to go along with things. Only for now. She went up the stairs, looking at everything. The house was beautiful really, but so foreign. Yet apparently she lived here.  
  
In the hall, she found more pictures, including that same big family portrait. There was a smaller one, with her mother and father, herself and, what had Prue called them? Margot and Samuel? There were many separate pictures of them, some together, as babies, children, and now. This was so surreal.  
  
She turned to the doors to the many rooms. Thankfully, there were faded name tags on them. One read 'Samuel'. Another had 'Margot' and 'Helena' tags with a 'and' added in the middle. She knew her mystery siblings were away, so she was able to calmly walk into what was apparently her room.  
  
There was a bed on either side, furniture in doubles or singles. Now which side was hers? If she hadn't seen the edge of a high school history book peeking from a bag hanging on the left bed's front post, it may have taken longer. She went to sit on the right bed. She sat there for a while, fidgetingly silent. After a second, she wondered if something would be the same. She opened her bed table's drawer. She breathed. There was her precious photo album. Before looking, she had another thought. She stood and padded toward Margot's night table. She looked around, then opened it. There was an identical album, with the other name. She quietly lifted the cover. On the very first page, there was a picture of her mother, holding a baby, a birth announcement stuck to the page.  
  
"On September 9th 2009, at 11:14PM in San Francisco, Eric and Paige Norwood welcomed Margot Callie Norwood. She weighed in at 5 pounds 12 ounces. She joins sister Helena Norwood, age three…" she read slowly. "Norwood…" She closed the album and drawer and returned to her own album, opening to a similar announcement. "Helena Katherine Norwood."  
  
She slowly paged through the book, finding new information as she went on. Her father hadn't died in 2006, and as the pictures and the dates indicated, it was the same for her aunts four years later. She also found that the twins were named Padget and Penelope, and the boy who'd been with Margot was Thomas, or Tommy as the captions said. And then the most shocking thing, after the non-deaths of her father and aunts, was the revealed identity of the other girl… Persia. It made sense in a way. Since Piper hadn't died, her cousin would have been born when she was supposed to, fourteen years ago.  
  
The shocks kept on coming as she got to the last pages, finding many pictures of herself and none other than Will Hyland in very friendly poses, even some of them in mid-smooch. "No way…" she whispered. Then there was a knock at her door.  
  
"As radiant as ever…" She jumped.  
  
"Will! H-hi!" He laughed and came to sit next to her. She could feel her heart speed up. "Hi," she repeated. And then he kissed her. It was the sweetest kiss she'd ever had. Her hair was standing on edge. Then he pulled back.  
  
"Hey," he replied finally. She threw/set down the album and brought her arms up around his neck and resumed their kiss, this time more involved. She allowed herself to get lost in the moment for a while. Eventually though she had to stop. "Wait… I… have… to…" she spoke between the slowing embrace. They pulled apart though they were still bare inches away from each other and breathing heavily. "Wow…" she swooned. He smiled. "Don't freak out on me, but uh… I can't go…" She hated doing this so bad.  
  
"Duty calls?" he nodded. She looked at him. "Hey, it's okay. I know this is important. Is it demons?"  
  
"You know…" she spoke in barely more than a whisper. He must have heard.  
  
"And have known for over a year… Are you okay?" he slid the loose strands of her hair out of her face.  
  
"Everyone's very intuitive today…" He looked confused. "Never mind." She sighed. "Can you come like… around nine?" He nodded, kissed her again and left. Once he was gone, she dropped back to her bed with a sigh. Too much information to take in at once. The people who were no longer dead, new family, boyfriend…  
  
It was then she thought about the fact that some people were not here. Glen, Simon, Diana, Cecilia, Molly, Olivia… she supposed they wouldn't be, but that just didn't make sense. She wondered if Glen and Simon still lived in San Francisco. She wondered if Olivia was okay. Then her little sisters, her sweet Honey-Dee and Birdy… Molly… they didn't exist at all, did they?  
  
And then there was the magic. She hadn't really seen any true proof of it, but from what could see, she guessed their powers had never been bound. Did that mean she had ones she didn't know about?  
  
But all of this didn't matter. She knew it wasn't real, that it was just a dream and would all be gone by morning. It didn't matter how good and elaborate it was. Actually, it did matter in one way: It was all too good to be true. It didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy it while she could.  
  
The reason she'd told Will she'd reschedule was something else. She didn't know how to feel about this. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd dreamed of being with Will… some of these dreams were not even discussed with Prue, her dear confidant, too shy to admit them. This dream here was the most real she'd seen. Part of her just wanted to take advantage of it while it lasted. But then there was that part that said maybe it was more real than she thought and she shouldn't go too far. Now she'd just have to resist those blue eyes, and that was a very hard thing to do, near impossible.  
  
It took about five minutes before she decided to go for it. She'd keep things in perspective and return here in good time. Then by morning she'd be home again. Everything would be okay, she hoped.  
  
She started getting ready around seven. She'd been there for about two hours now. She put on a dress she'd found in her closet but not bought herself. Not in her 'conscious world' at least. She fixed up her hair, which was longer here. She put on makeup, getting the last of it fixed before Margot came in the room. She was still kind of jumpy at seeing these new people. Margot didn't notice.  
  
"Why the reschedule?" Margot asked, taking a necklace from the desk and putting it on Helena, who let her do it.  
  
"Uh, I just… I don't know."  
  
"Mm. Blue bag," she suddenly called. In the reflection of the mirror, she watched as the object orbed into her hands. "Here," Margot handed it over and Helena stared at it. So she had orb telekinesis… Did that mean Samuel could freeze? No, that didn't make sense, why would he? Did he even have any powers?  
  
"Thanks," Helena spoke quietly. Margot gave her sister a hug from behind and kissed her cheek. Helena couldn't help smiling. She turned to find the girl now plopped down on her bed and pulling the history book from her bag. Helena finished getting ready. She walked to the door, but then she looked back at Margot again. After a few seconds, she noticed and looked up.  
  
"What?" she asked. Helena blinked.  
  
"Uh, nothing. I'll… see you later." She nodded and Helena left. She barely knew her, but somehow she felt that she'd miss her once she'd be home.  
  
She got down into the kitchen, taking a glass of water as she waited. It was a quarter to nine. Then the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
"Oh good, it's you," came a small voice she recognized as one of the twins… now if there was any way to say which one. She had a thought.  
  
"Uh…" Oddly, it worked.  
  
"It's me, Pen! We didn't want to call Mom…"  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, sensing the urgency.  
  
"I don't know! Something's wrong with Padget…" she cried.  
  
"Why can't you call your Mom? Where are you?" There was a pause. "It's alright, you can tell me."  
  
"We're at Kiana's house. I know Mom doesn't like her, but she's not evil, honest! Just because her father was a demon, it doesn't mean she's bad too!"  
  
"Alright, calm down. Give me the address."  
  
Two minutes later, Helena was materializing in the living room of the address she was given. She'd left a note for Will. She didn't know why she did it really. After all, it was a dream, right? But even in a dream, she didn't want to lose him.  
  
"You're here!" Penelope hugged her on appearance. She returned the gesture.  
  
"Of course. Where's Padget?"  
  
"Upstairs with Sam and Kiana, come on." She pulled on her arm.  
  
"Following, following…" She was led into a bedroom where she found Samuel standing next to a girl she guessed was Kiana. She looked about eleven or twelve, with long shiny black hair, emerald green eyes… and a tail waving lightly from side to side. It stood as the girl took notice of the new arrivals. She did look harmless, though she understood how the tail might be unsettling. She also understood how her Aunt Piper might be hesitant to let her girls hang out with her. From what she'd been told, their family had problematic run-ins with this type of situation before.  
  
Finally her gaze fell to the bed. Padget laid on it, unable to find a comfortable position it seemed. She tossed and turned a bit, and she seemed to be sweating a lot.  
  
"Mommy?" Padget whimpered.  
  
"No honey, it's me… it's Helena." She went to sit next to her, brushed back the hair that was stuck to her face. She was cool despite the beads of sweat all over her face and neck. "What happened?"  
  
"She just started getting like this. Then she wanted to lie down. We were worried, we didn't know what to do. We couldn't try for Prue or Persia, Mom might have picked up…" Penelope spoke rapidly. "She's in pain…" her voice wavered. Was this another power? Did these two have a connection like Em and Charlie, or was this something else?  
  
And then Padget started to convulse. Helena tried to get her settled, but panic was growing within the three standing behind her.  
  
"What's going on?" Penelope cried.  
  
"Kiana, does your family have a car?"  
  
"In the garage," she nodded. Without another word, she lifted Padget from the bed and started down the stairs. She was scared. This was little Pad. Not too long ago it seemed, she'd held her in her arms. Both the twins had been small at birth, and Helena remembered visiting them in the hospital often in the weeks after they were born before they were taken home. The memory was so clear, yet its presence didn't seem as familiar. This was new. This and so much more stuff as they piled into the car and started for the hospital.  
  
She was hearing facts. She knew that Persia Elysia Halliwell was born March 1st 2011, that Padget Megan and Penelope Lynn had come into the world November 21st 2013. She knew Thomas Andrew Dean was born May 27th the same year as Persia. And she knew Samuel Jackson Norwood had been delivered with her help on June 8th 2012 as Helena and her pregnant mother had been held captive by a demon. She'd been six, but with her mother's help, she'd worked it all out. And she knew that on July 15th 2010, her father had saved her Aunt Piper from a demon, and her Aunt Phoebe indirectly as well, because on April 12th 2006, he had been aided by a mysterious figure in evading capture and vanquishing the warlocks who'd cornered him.  
  
They got to the hospital and Penelope and Samuel ran in to get help as Kiana hid her tail and Helena parked the car. They brought a gurney and Padget was wheeled into the ER. Helena was told to wait in the waiting room. She left the kids there and went to the payphones.  
  
"Hello?" came her Aunt Piper's voice. It was amazing she even remembered what it sounded like.  
  
"Aunt Piper, it's Helena. Don't panic, okay?" She explained the situation, leaving out the part about Kiana. She didn't need more stress now. She said she'd be on her way and they hung up. Helena turned and jumped in surprise at finding Kiana.  
  
"Sorry!" the girl winced.  
  
"No, no, it's okay, don't worry about it." The girl looked semi-uncomfortable. "You okay?"  
  
"It's probably a good idea for me to get out of here before they show up…"  
  
"You don't have to," Helena shook her head.  
  
"I think I do. Hey, it's okay, really. I don't mind it anymore. It used to bug me, but you get used to these things when you're a freak."  
  
"You're not a freak."  
  
"Hello, I have a tail…" A person or two looked at them. Kiana rolled her eyes. They looked away.  
  
"Hey, if you're a freak, I am too. I may not have any visual evidence of that, but you and I both know I wouldn't win the Miss Normal pageant here. And why would I want to? Normal's boring. You and I, we're special." That got a smile out of her.  
  
"Well, bye," she waved and headed off. Helena wondered how she'd get home but somehow she knew it wouldn't be a problem, not even having anything to do with the fact that it was all an elaborate dream which would soon be over.   
  
The next morning – Hospital, Padget's room  
  
The sun beating heavily into the room woke Helena up. Eyes closed, she sat up and stretched. That gesture only got her muscle pain from an awkward sleeping position. Her eyes slowly opened. This wasn't right… she wasn't supposed to be here anymore, she was supposed to be home!  
  
"Oh no…" she whispered to herself as she stood. She looked around the silent room. On the couch wehre she'd been she found she'd been using her Aunt Piper's lap as a headrest. She slept, and so did her Uncle Leo in a chair next to Padget's bed.  
  
Helena walked up to her young cousin. She looked a lot better than the last time she saw her. She was very glad about that but at the same time she was freaking out.  
  
She stumbled out of the room before she woke up anybody. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening…" she whispered again, rubbing at her eyes with some hope it would make everything right.  
  
"Helena…" She looked up to find Will standing from a chair nearby. He came over and hugged her.  
  
"Hey…" she breathed. He started to pull back but she closed up the hug again. "Not done…" He laughed lightly and obliged.  
  
"How's Padget? Is she gonna be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, she should be coming home soon. Turns out it was food poisoning…"  
  
"I see." They stood there for a while longer. "Want to go to the cafeteria? Did you eat last night?"  
  
"I didn't. Let's go." She was trying to make sense of things, but her stomach growling wasn't helping any. They went and she sat at a table while Will went to get food and coffee. When he returned, there was silence for a while.  
  
"Toast for your thoughts?" he asked, holding out the crispy piece of bread, which he'd applied peanut butter to. She smiled and took it.  
  
"I'm going to ask you some questions, and it may sound weird but just go with it okay?" He nodded. "You and me… how long have we been together?"  
  
"Going on a year and a half."  
  
"How…"  
  
"Well, we found out our fathers knew each other as kids. Your father was at the game once and he'd asked about him. After that, we started seeing each other more and more, and eventually I asked you out. You said yes, and here we are." It made sense. Without Eric there, the link was never made on that capacity. But something else bugged her.  
  
"And Heather?" He shrugged.  
  
"She hadn't liked the two of us hanging together and we broke up." He saw the look on her face. "Hey, we were heading that way anyway." She looked down. "Helena?" He saw she was crying. "Hey, hey, hey…" he went to sit next to her, placing an arm around her shoulders. "What's the matter?"  
  
"But this isn't my world…" she whimpered.  
  
"What are you talking about?" She looked up.  
  
"I thought it was just a dream, a beautiful dream… But I'm still here." She managed a small smile. "I'm not making a lot of sense, am I?"  
  
"Not a whole lot," he admitted. She nodded.  
  
"Yesterday, I was at the cemetery. I went to visit a couple of relatives who died on that day fifteen years ago… my Aunts Piper and Phoebe." Now he was confused. Still she continued. "My father died when I was a week old. My mother remarried when I was five. I had a stepbrother named Simon and two half-sisters, Diana and Cecilia. Persia is only six because she was retrieved from the past from when she was killed because Aunt Piper died. Prue is raising her along with her two-year-old daughter Molly and another two-year-old girl Olivia whose parents were killed by a demon. And I've had a crush on you for years but so far nothing's happened between us." She paused. "Yesterday, I was knocked out by some strange beam and when I woke up, I was here. This isn't my world…" she finally repeated.  
  
"Wow…" was all Will managed to say.  
  
"You believe me, don't you?" she asked hopefully. He nodded. Relieved, she hugged him again. "I want to get back to where I belong, but I don't want to leave you…"  
  
"Hey, there's a me in your world too. And if he's me, he's loved you since the first time he saw you, when you hit him on the head with a baseball." She laughed. "You'll always be graceful batter of my heart, in any world." They kissed, sweet and full of emotion.  
  
"What if I can't get back? What happens to my sisters, and Molly and the others? And what'll happen to you guys?"  
  
"You're falling out of my area of expertise here. Have you told anyone else? Your family?" She shook her head. "Why not?"  
  
"What would I say to them? I don't remember them, don't know them. I mean, they grew up with a Helena too, but where'd she go? And how did I get here? How did this happen? Why do I know it's different? Is it even real?" she was getting frenetic now, losing control.  
  
"Hey, look at me," he took her hands. She did as told. "You're real. I'm real. You'll figure it out."  
  
"Is it okay that I'm freaked out?"  
  
"Definitely." He nodded and she smiled. "We'll get you home. And then you go find the other me and you'll see how weak in the knees you make… us." Still, she smiled.  
  
"Soon?" she asked.  
  
"Soon."  
  
One month later, August 14th 2025 – Norwood home  
  
Helena laid in her bed that night, staring at the ceiling. She was still here. She was still unable to tell her family about things. Memories of this world were multiplying in her mind. She was seeing how happy this world was. Not that her world was bad. But these versions of her family hadn't suffered losses like the others had.  
  
She knew more, including the powers each of them had. For Prue, Henry, Em and Charlie, it was the same, but others had new ones. Her Aunt Piper had the power of sizing, and Aunt Phoebe had aerokinesis. Her mother herself had two new powers, though she didn't understand why the other Paige didn't. She had invisibility and regeneration.  
  
Helena discovered she possessed the power of persuasion. She was disappointed not to have any more "firey" powers, but she got over it. Persia, besides her projection power, had transfiguration. With it, she could become a wolf.  
  
Padget and Penelope, "Pad and Pen", didn't have a psychic connection like the other twins, but along with orbing they each had two powers. Padget, named in tribute to her aunt, had phasing and light. Penelope, named in memory of her great-grandmother, had empathy and deflection. Thomas, along with his siblings, had a close tie to both his parents. He and his brother were also best friends and fellow augmenters. As for Helena's siblings, they also orbed. Margot had orb telekinesis, as Helena had seen, and terrakinesis. Samuel, unlike his male cousins, had powers. They figured they came from his quarter of whitelighterness, the powers being regeneration and levitation. All of them had grown up openly with these powers and it showed in their ability to use them.  
  
Another problem with the 'find a way home' plan was that she didn't know how she got there in the first place. The fact that nothing had come for her or anyone else in any way that could tie them to this didn't help. Why was no one making a move?  
  
She may have been unsettled by this family adjustment at first, still was a little now, but she couldn't let them see that. So the next day, the one month 'anniversary' of her world skip, she joined the family in the celebration of Henry's twentieth birthday. The party was small, only family and some close friends, held at the Dean home. Here as it seemed, the Deans lived down the street from the two neighboring homes of Piper and Paige. They'd moved there shortly after Phoebe became pregnant with Thomas.  
  
Being at the party was odd. Though she got along fine with them, this party was awkward. She couldn't explain it, she felt like she should have been in her world, with her own Henry. He and the others who were in both worlds were different from their other versions. They had lived different lives.  
  
By the middle of the party she found herself very sad and hiding in the Dean attic. She sat on the window bench, looking out and up at the stars in the night sky.  
  
"There you are." She turned to find Margot standing at the door. "Relax, I won't tell." Helena wondered if she was speaking about the secret she'd held for a month now. "I'm sure we won't be the last ones coming up here tonight. Party's winding down, more parent talk than we can take. Here…" she held out a plate holding a piece of cake.  
  
"Thanks," Helena laughed as her sister sat across from her and handed the plate over.  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course," Helena nodded, taking a bite of the cake, giving one to Margot.  
  
"Are you mad at me?" That caught her off guard.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know, it's probably just me, but it's like lately you've been acting different… distant. I don't want you to be mad at me."  
  
Helena looked at the girl sitting before her. This was her sister. Looking at her now she was being flooded with memories. This seemed to happen from time to time. She would look at someone and she'd know… their favorite TV show or what they were allergic to. She remembered how when Margot was four she would only let Helena get anywhere near her scraped knee or runny nose. She remembered that she'd been the one to ask that Margot stay in her room. Helena was beyond close to her sister, and she'd long vowed to protect her from anything that'd dare to try and hurt her. And for the first time, she wasn't so eager to get home.  
  
"I'm not mad at you silly. I could never." She shrugged. "I've just… been having a bit of a downer period the past little while. But I'm better now, I promise." Margot smiled and nearly tackled Helena over as she hugged her. Helena laughed. "Hey, watch the cake now." Margot laughed along. A second later, the two sets of twins came in. "Hey guys. Come on over."  
  
"It's getting kind of Memory Lane-heavy down there. We figured we could skip out on some of it. I mean it's not like we weren't there," Emily explained as they came to sit.  
  
"Don't get us wrong, we love them and all, but there's only so much we can take," Charlotte went on.  
  
"I guess the birthday boy's stuck then," Helena laughed.  
  
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Henry teased as he came in, accompanied by the rest of the kids. "I escaped, thank you very much." The group had themselves a laugh.  
  
Sitting there with all of them, Helena felt oddly comfortable, like it all suddenly made sense. It didn't matter how she got here or why. This was real, she knew it now. It didn't mean she'd stop trying to get home. It just meant she'd try to enjoy her time here at the same time while she had it. It also meant she'd not only look for a way home, but also a way home that would allow for return visits. They had her heart now. They were as much her family as the others were. And family was key for her. Family was what kept her going, through whatever the world threw at her.  
  
"What do you guys want to do now? I say… a little food fight is in order." A wave of giggles broke out and the group made their way downstairs.  
  
TBC 


	25. Ep 12 Cost of a Dream Life, part II

Part II - Tricks and Treats  
  
September 2nd 2025 - Halliwell Manor  
  
"Helena, thank you so much honey. You're a lifesaver," Piper greeted her niece.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I don't start at school for a while."  
  
"Thank you. They should be ready soon." The two hugged and Piper was out the door.  
  
"Come on people, the Helenamobile waits for no witch on their first day of school!" she called up the stairs.  
  
"We're coming, we're coming," Padget walked in, through the wall no less, munching on an orange. She held out a slice and Helena took it with a smile.  
  
"Where are the others?"  
  
"Pen is fixing her hair still, and Persia's… book hunting." Upon the words' appearance, a great white and gray wolf came in from upstairs, sniffing around.  
  
"Persia? What are you looking for?" Helena asked. The wolf looked at her before turning back into her cousin. It was still kind of odd to see her transform like this, didn't matter how comfortable she was getting. This was little Persia, all grown up…  
  
"My math book, I can't find it…"  
  
"Did you look in the living room? You were looking through it yesterday." Persia looked into that room. "It could have slid under the couch…" She went to look, and a squeal was heard.  
  
"Thank you, thank you!"  
  
"No problem, now come on. Can't be late." Persia nodded and ran off. "Penelope, tic toc, let's go! Put down the brush already!"  
  
Ten minutes later, Helena and her cousins piled into the car. On mornings when Piper, Leo, and Prue were busy, Helena was usually the one to step in to play driver to the girls' schools.  
  
She was remembering past events of this world more and more, in fact she was almost positive she knew just about everything she was supposed to in this world. It was a few days after she arrived she remembered that here she had absolutely no aspirations to be a police officer. She supposed her father being alive had changed that.  
  
Every time she saw him, her heart still went into a somersault. Her father, her dear Dad, alive and well… it was just a beautiful thing for her eyes to see. And as time had passed, she'd received something no letter or heroic tale could replace: real live memories of him. She remembered being little and going out for the weekly "Daddy and Helena's special fun Saturday morning". They would go eat, go to the park or the moves if it was raining. As she'd gotten older, if she couldn't make it, they would go to dinner a few nights later, then go rent a movie. Helena had always, in any reality, loved movies. But this love, which her father shared, had been nurtured differently in this world.  
  
Perhaps that was how she'd found herself in the career direction she was here. For the moment, she was the assistant of a local television channel's entertainment segment host for the ten o'clock news. The woman was about to head into retirement and thanks to her recommendations, once Helena graduated from college, she would take over the task.  
  
At this moment, she was on her way to the studio. She would start co-hosting with Carol Ford every now and then, to let the audience get to know her. Tonight would be her first time at it. She and Carol had become good friends in the time since they'd met. So she'd offered Helena a little outing. First there would be a meeting to discuss the night's segment. After that, Helena and Carol would go for lunch and shopping.  
  
When she returned home in late afternoon, she put away her purchases after picking from them the outfit she'd wear for tonight. She dressed, then reviewed her notes. Reading there, she had become very concentrated. So when there was a small object placed in her line of vision, she jumped back a bit.  
  
"My, my, aren't we jumpy," came her mother's voice. She sat next to her on the bed, handing her the box she'd waved in front of her. "This is a little something from your father and I, a… good luck charm for your new job. And you know in this family, that's not a halfway deal," she winked. Helena smiled.  
  
"Thanks, Mom."  
  
Finally, she left for the studio. The whole time they waited for their time to come, Helena held on to the pendant around her neck. And before she knew it, it was over. She'd done her first broadcast and Carol told her she handled herself like a pro, and the audience was in good hands once she took over. That made her nervous and happy at the same time.  
  
She left for home at about eleven. She'd barely made it out the door when she heard the call.  
  
"Helena!" a girl's voice was whisper-shouting. She looked around, finally spotting her hiding in a bush.  
  
"Prue? What are you doing here?" she walked over. She saw then she wasn't alone. "Emily? Charlotte? Okay, what is going on here?" Approaching them, she saw each of them were sporting a few cuts and bruises. Emily had part of Charlotte's shirt wrapped around her left hand.  
  
"Demons, lots of them, and they've got hostages," Emily explained. "Everyone's there now."  
  
"We could use some… persuasion," Prue went on.  
  
"Why didn't you guys come get me before?"  
  
"Well, we didn't want to keep you from your job, we knew how important it is to you. So we waited," Charlotte explained.  
  
"Well, it's done now, let's go." With that, the four girls went off.  
  
When they rematerialized at the scene of the battle, Helena stood in shock. There was her whole family, fighting against a band of demons. Even her mother, father, aunts… they still held their own, even at their age. Her mother didn't need the cane in this world. And little Pad and Pen, just eleven but they sure knew how to use their powers to help the others. She doubted it had been the intention to have them there though, but the questions would have to wait.  
  
"You four, go take care of the hostages!" Eric called from nearby. A second later, the demon he was fighting pulled out a knife.  
  
"Dad, look out!" Helena shouted. Eric turned in time to see it, but not enough to completely deflect the blow, and the blade ran into his arm. He grunted and fell to his knees. "Dad!" She turned to her cousins. "You go ahead!" She ran at the demon and grabbed his arm in mid-swing. No one would take her father from her again, no way. With all the rage the thought of it was bringing her, she twisted the demon's arm, making him stab himself. He exploded in a small fire. Helena knelt at her father's side. "Are you okay?" she asked. Eric held on to his bleeding arm with a surprising calm.  
  
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Just send Leo my way and go help the others?" She nodded, hugging him quickly before standing and scanning the crowd. Only two demons were still here. Two she could handle. She closed her eyes and focused. She made the demons believe they'd been wounded, so that they'd soon be dead. They were fine, but in the panic it caused them, it allowed for Henry and Piper to each truly vanquish them. Once that was done, she ran off to help Prue, Emily and Charlotte, the hostages were no doubt being guarded. When she got there, she saw that the three had dealt with the guards well enough alone.  
  
"Is your Dad okay?" Prue asked.  
  
"He will be when yours gets here," she nodded.  
  
"I'll call him," she went to the other room. Helena and the twins found the room where the hostages were kept. They were in the high school, and as she later found out, there was a charity sleepover with students and parents. Piper had been here with Persia, Padget, and Penelope. They hadn't been caged with the others because they'd orbed to safety just in time. They'd then called the others. The other parents and kids were held in the boys' locker room.  
  
"You can go, you're safe now," Charlotte told the people as they opened the door. The people, about thirty of them, began to stand and walk out hurriedly. The last group came along with someone Helena was surprised but also simply thrilled to see.  
  
"Simon?" He looked up at her. "I can't believe it…" No thought able to stop her, she hugged her step-brother. It took a few seconds for her to remember he didn't know her in this world.  
  
"Uh… hello?" Simon finally spoke. Helena let him go.  
  
"Sorry, I…" she looked down.  
  
"How'd you know my name?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"Simon, come on! I wanna go home!" a voice finally broke the awkwardness. Helena finally noticed the boy and two girls standing by her "brother", including the little eight-year-old girl who'd spoken just then.  
  
"Uh, I should go, but…" Simon started.  
  
"Do you have a way home?" Helena asked. She didn't want to let him go just yet.  
  
"Actually, we don't. It's a long story, but it ends with we're supposed to be picked up only in the morning but I don't think they'll want to stay," he nodded to the girls in PJs.  
  
"Uh, why don't you guys come with us and we'll figure something out."  
  
"Alright, thank you…"  
  
"Helena. Helena Norwood. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Likewise. I'm Simon Belland, but you already know that. These are my siblings, David, Amy, and Sarah."  
  
Helena looked at the three of them. David looked like Simon at fourteen. Amy, ten years old, had some traits reminiscent of Cecilia and her blond hair and blue eyes. And little Sarah, eight, had eyes like Diana, and a head of dark brown hair. Just as she'd had to adjust to herself and her known cousins having new siblings, she now had to do the same toward Simon, and that was easier said than done.  
  
She left the Belland kids with her cousins and went to check on her father. She found him escorting the freed hostages out just as the others were. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked him, hugging him tight. She almost trembled at the thought of losing him again. Somehow he must have felt it, and he hugged her back just as tight.  
  
"What do you say we head out for breakfast tomorrow morning?"  
  
"I like that idea," she kept him close.  
  
"So how was your first night on the job? We taped it at home." She laughed.  
  
"It went great."  
  
Some time later, Helena, her parents, Margot, Samuel, and the Belland kids arrived home. She hadn't told her mother who the kids were, not that she was supposed to know… She wondered how their seeing each other would go. She wasn't worried about it breaking things, they were both married and all, but still in her memories, Glen had been with her mother, he had been her father as far as raising her went. So having them together made sense to her, but then so did her true parents. So having them all in the same room… She was about to find out, as the doorbell had just rung.  
  
Only when she opened the door, she didn't find Glen. There stood a woman. "Yes?" She looked familiar, but she couldn't place her.  
  
"My son called, he said he and the other kids were here." Now her face came back to her. She'd only seen her on pictures. This was Jessica, Simon's mother. But what was she doing here? She was supposed to be back in Seattle. Then Sarah came running in.  
  
"Mommy, Mommy!" she ran into her arms.  
  
"Hey baby, are you okay?" she kissed the top of her head. Amy joined the hug, and Jessica put one arm around her. Simon and David came in as well, standing there.  
  
"Hello Jessica," her mother's voice came in.  
  
"Paige. Long time…" Helena looked from one woman to the other and back.  
  
"You two know each other?" Simon spoke up. They nodded quietly.  
  
And then it came rocketing at her… a memory from 'three years ago'. Her mother had gotten a call. It had left her quite upset. When she'd finally explained, she said an old friend of hers had died. His seven-year-old daughter had fallen into a river. She didn't know how to swim. He'd gone in after her. He'd gotten her to safety before he was hit by a boat that hadn't seen him. They'd found his body the next morning. This friend had moved back to San Francisco after living in Seattle for a while. She'd run into him a few years back, but awkwardness from their last encounter had made things complicated. She'd gone to the funeral with Eric.  
  
A seven-year-old daughter… three years ago. Little Amy was ten… no it couldn't be. It couldn't be, because then that would mean…  
  
Slowly, unnoticed, she backed her way toward the stairs. She began climbing them just as the two women began to talk again.  
  
"How've you been?" her mother asked.  
  
"Oh, you know, it was hard at first. And I still miss him. But you adjust…" Helena saw the looks of sadness in the children's eyes, of almost guilt in Amy's, and she just had to get out of there. She quietly went up the stairs and into the attic, closing the door right before she finally lost it and broke down.  
  
The next morning  
  
Helena opened her eyes. She was still in the attic. It took her a few seconds to remember why she was there. Then it came back to her. She whimpered and sighed at once, running a hand through her hair. She stood and opened the door. Looking at her watch she saw it was 6:30am. She padded down the stairs and went toward the kitchen.  
  
"Morning." She looked up. She hadn't noticed her father standing by the coffee machine.  
  
"Morning," she repeated, sitting at the table. He looked at her, then made a cup and brought it to her.  
  
"So. You shower and change and we'll go get that breakfast I promised." She smiled quietly. She stood again and returned upstairs with her cup. She got ready and returned downstairs at seven.  
  
The drive to the restaurant was mostly quiet. It would have been just fine for Helena if he didn't notice, but at the same time she was glad he did. How she'd handle it, that was still being debated.  
  
Sitting at their table, he finally spoke up. "Does this silent act have anything to do with your disappearance off to the attic last night?" he asked.  
  
"You saw that, uh?" He nodded. "It's a long story, and not one I really want to get into honestly."  
  
"Look. If you don't want to talk about it now, I'll respect that. I just have to know you're okay." She nodded once. "Alright. You know if you ever change your mind…"  
  
"You'll be the first to know," she assured him.  
  
"I better be." They laughed. "Watched the tape last night."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And suddenly I felt old." She laughed. "My little Helena… not so little anymore. I remember times, you were only a few months old, tiny thing you were." It always caused a pinching feeling in her when he talked of these… moments where in her world he hadn't truly been there. It was one thing, however wonderful, to have memories of this world come to her, but she hadn't in fact experienced them. This world's Helena had.  
  
Since her arrival, she'd wondered how things were in her world. Had time stopped or was it still going? And did they have the other Helena or no Helena at all? Thinking it through had brought about a kind of frightful theory.  
  
Why was she getting these memories? They had to come from somewhere, from someone. What if this person was the other Helena? It would mean when she came into this world, they became one single entity. It would also mean the other world didn't have a Helena. And if time indeed kept on going, then she'd disappeared from their world, their lives, almost two months ago. Her mother must be so scared, the others…  
  
She had to get back. But she had to make sure she wouldn't take their Helena with her. But then what did it mean for her new memories? She didn't want to lose this world, her father…  
  
"Helena? Are you sure you're okay?" She blinked, looking up at her father.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm fine, Dad…"  
  
A few weeks later - September 17 2025  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Will asked Helena.  
  
"Yeah," she nodded. "It's okay, really. Yes, it'll be strange, but…"  
  
"That's not what I mean." She sighed and turned to him.  
  
"I'll be okay, Will. I've dealt with it."  
  
"Okay, okay," he approached her. "If you need a hand, you know where to reach me." She smiled.  
  
"You know I have sisters about their ages, I think I can handle it."  
  
"Okay. But that's just it. These girls could very well have been your sisters." Her face fell just a bit.  
  
"I know." She looked down, then up. "I'll call, I promise. If I need it."  
  
She left an hour later. In the past few weeks, she'd spent some time with the Bellands. It was odd but… being with them was like being with a part of her real world that this new world didn't have until she met them. Jessica had asked her to baby-sit Amy and Sarah that night. She had to go out of town and would be back after lunch the next day. She gladly accepted.  
  
Just as she got to the car, Persia came running out of the house next door. 'Hey!" Helena waved to her. The girl came running to her.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Uh, if it doesn't take too long. I have to get to the Bellands' before Jessica has to leave."  
  
"Can you drive me there?"  
  
"Why?" Helena asked. Then she saw the look on Persia's face and smiled. It really put a new spin on the "little so-and-so, all grown up" concept. "Get in." The girl grinned and got into the front passenger seat. Helena shook her head and threw her overnight bag on the backseat. "Let's roll," she put on her sunglasses. Persia laughed. It was strange how this older Persia wasn't that different from the small one she knew.  
  
"Helena?" she asked as they left Prescott Street.  
  
"Yes?" There was a moment of silence.  
  
"When… well, how old… uh… your first kiss, what was it like?" She almost lost the wheel for a second. "Nevermind."  
  
"No, no, it's okay. You just sort of caught me by surprise, that's all. Why are you asking me?"  
  
"I can't ask Mom or Prue, it'd be too weird!"  
  
"I guess it kinda would," she grinned. "Well, let's see…" She almost wanted to give her the version from her world, but that could have brought on problems. So she settled for the "new memories" version. "I was actually fourteen, like you. Kevin Marcowitz, outside the gym one day. He and I didn't get along too well as kids, but he improved over the years." And this was true in both worlds. "Anyway, he pulled me aside and asked me to a dance that was coming up soon. I wasn't exactly over what he'd done years before and we kind of argued. And then I said yes. I guess it took that argument for me to understand I was carrying those issues around for too long. And he was really a nice guy now, compared to back then anyway."  
  
"And he kissed you?" Persia asked, enthralled.  
  
"And he kissed me," Helena nodded.  
  
"How was it?" Helena couldn't help smiling. However new this memory was to her, she couldn't deny how nice it was.  
  
"Everything I wanted it to be." She looked at Persia as they stopped at a red light. "And it will be for you too, I'm sure of it." She saw her cousin's cheeks take on a redness and it made her smile again.  
  
They arrived at the Belland home. It was the same one Glen and Simon had been living in before they moved into the manor. It was so weird being here. She'd found out some things since the night in the school. Glen and Jessica had reunited almost two years after he and Simon moved to San Francisco. They were remarried and before long they had a second son, followed by two daughters. And before the accident… they were all happy together. Losing their father, the adjustments they'd had to make since then, all of it had resulted in their bond growing stronger and tighter. And seeing her dear brother so happy with a family that wasn't theirs was hard to take, she had to admit it.  
  
Helena and Persia got out of the car. "Tell me something before we go in there…" Helena stopped Persia. She seemed to understand.  
  
"Simon and David are going off to Seattle tonight, they're supposed to help their grandparents with something early tomorrow morning. That's why they can't stay with Amy and Sarah and why they need you. Before that, David wanted me to come over, hang out and stuff."  
  
"Here?" She nodded. "Alright." They continued on to the front door. Persia rang the bell. Sarah's voice was heard.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"It's Helena." The words had barely been spoken that the door was swung open, revealing the giddy-looking eight-year-old. "Hey Sarah, how are you?"  
  
"Good! We got moves from the store." Helena was awed by how much she reminded her of Cecilia sometimes. She spotted David coming down the stairs and moved into action.  
  
"Why don't you show me? What do you say?" she asked the girl as she started ushering her out of the hall, throwing a wink to Persia over her shoulder. Her cousin mouthed a quick 'thank you'.  
  
More weeks later - October 31 2025  
  
Helena stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the costume she'd rented for the night's events. Right at this moment, she should have been on her way to the now annual Norwood's San Francisco Halloween party. They all waited for it to come each year, and it never deceived. Only this year she was in a place where NSF didn't even exist. Times like these, holidays, birthdays… Cecilia's eleventh last September, made her be much more aware of how long she'd been away from them. Two and a half months… How frustrated she was that the way home hadn't been found yet could not be expressed. At times she almost felt guilty enjoying herself here, away from the family she'd grown with and knowing it was very possible they were worrying about her being time if she'd disappeared when she came here.  
  
She heard the phone ring. A few seconds later, Sam walked into her room, holding out the handheld while covering his eyes with his other hand. Helena laughed. "It's okay, I'm dressed." He pulled his hand down. From what she understood, he'd been named after their mother's birth father, the one she and any of her siblings could thank for their orbing ability, and where their Sam got his powers. He dropped by from time to time, though their mother always called him Sam, never Dad or any variation of it.  
  
"It's for you," he handed her the phone.  
  
"Thanks. Hey, what are you doing tonight?"  
  
"Going trick-or-treating with Padget and Pen."  
  
"And Kiana?"  
  
"You won't tell?"  
  
"Our little secret," she winked. "But at some point we will have to talk to Aunt Piper." He nodded. "Alright then. Better go get ready." He nodded again and left. She brought the phone to her car. "Is it Prince Charming?" she asked sweetly. Will laughed.  
  
"Something like that. You ready?"  
  
"Just about."  
  
"Good. I'll be there in two minutes."  
  
"I'll be waiting!" She hung up and once she'd finished preparing, she came down the stairs.  
  
"You two be careful out there. And spread the word, we have fabulous wartless skin," Paige came to see her daughter off.  
  
"Will do," she laughed. Opening the door, she saw Will's car pulling into the driveway. She didn't know what he'd be dressed as, and he didn't know about her. They wanted to surprise each other. When he stepped out of the driver's seat, she felt a giggle coming. "Hi there…" she sauntered down to the driveway. "Love the nose…"  
  
"Love the dress," he smiled, admiring her flapper look as she took in his clown look.  
  
"Thanks." They kissed before getting in his car. "So we're stopping by Simon's party before Riley and Liz's, right?"  
  
"Yeah, about that…" She turned to him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just… well…" He paused. "I seem to be getting this vibe off him."  
  
"What kind of vibe?"  
  
"He likes you." She laughed.  
  
"Simon? No way! No, he… no." She shook her head. Then she thought about it. "Oh my goodness, you're… you're right."  
  
"Now I'm not worried about you or anything, but… you might want to talk to him." She sighed.  
  
"Great. I have to shoot down my brother. Alternate realities suck."  
  
At the Belland home, they were greeted by Amy and Sarah, both dressed as fairies, Amy in blue and Sarah in green.  
  
"Hey guys, you look great!" Helena smiled.  
  
"Now where would someone go for some candy?" Will asked them. He'd been by to pick her up a few times and Helena had been pleased somehow at how much the two girls had taken to him.  
  
She made her way around the house, looking for Simon. On the way she saw David and Persia. Since that day she drove her over, the two had become an item and though some part of it was weird to her for reasons they'd hopefully never have to know about, she found it kind of sweet.  
  
She found Simon in the kitchen, making popcorn on the stove. "Did you put in The Blend yet?" she asked. He looked up at her almost taken aback. She remembered she didn't know about this here as she quickly changed subjects, heading into the dreaded intended subject. "Can we talk for a second?"  
  
"I'll give you two because you look really great in that costume," he smiled. That only made things worse.  
  
"Look, Simon… I may just be imagining things here but I'm getting the impression here that you have certain… feelings?"  
  
"You noticed, uh?" he smiled despite slight embarrassment. She blinked. "Look, it's okay. I'm not going to try anything here. I would never try to break you and Will up. He's a great guy and you two look really happy together."  
  
"We are," she smiled. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I'll… get over it." She nodded. "So how do you know about The Blend?" She didn't know what to say. "Did my sisters tell you?"  
  
"Yes, yes they did," she went for it.  
  
"So they ratted me out," he winked. She laughed.  
  
"You know, little sisters are like that. They admire something in an older sibling and want to do the same." She remembered how her sister used to come into her room, into her closet and try on her clothes. She could never be mad at her with those blond pigtails. Now what was her name again?  
  
TBC 


	26. Ep 13 Cost of a Dream Life, part III

I'm sooo sooo sorry about the delay. Things were just crazy last week and this week and I didn't even manage to finish writing this chapter until a few hours ago. The next chapter, barring any unseen problems coming should be posted next monday as scheduled though :)  
  
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Part III - Sweet Memories  
  
Next morning, November 1st 2025  
  
"Best friend, Allison Elaine Pratt a.k.a. Allie. Born August 12th 2006. Mother is Jeanne Pratt a.k.a. Jeannie, three years older than my mother. Sister is Evelyn Marie Pratt a.k.a. Evie, born… born… no!"  
  
"Helena, you in here?"  
  
"Friends, Riley Charles Sever, born June 1st 2006. Son of Peter and Cate Sever, only child. Elizabeth May Hammell a.k.a. Liz, Riley's girlfriend since they were fourteen. Liz was born June 22nd 2006, the daughter of Michael and Stephanie Hammell, 2 sisters, 4 brothers… 3rd born, the others in order, Claire, Keith, Trent, Albert, Daniel, Samantha."  
  
"Helena?"  
  
"Kansas Paris Armstrong, May 17th 2006. Parents unknown, raised by uncle and aunt, Clint and Sophie Singer. Dog, Gruff, got him when she was twelve, had to be put to sleep last year."  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Prudence Melinda Halliwell, February 16th 2003. Henry Christopher Dean, August 15th 2005. Emily Cassandra and Charlotte Brianna Dean, June 17th 2008. Simon James Belland, October 16th 2006. Diana Piper Belland, December 30th 2012… Cecilia… Cecilia Phoebe Belland, September 20th 2014. Molly…"  
  
"Helena!"  
  
She finally blinked, stopped talking. She looked at him, holding her by the shoulder. She still held on shakily for dear life to her pencil, breathing heavily. "W- Will…" she dropped into his arms, breaking into tears.  
  
"Hey, hey, breathe. What's the matter?" he tried to calm her. "You just disappeared last night. Your parents are really worried, I told them I'd find you…" He looked down at the notebook fallen to the grass, the scribbles… "What is this?"  
  
"Can't…" he managed to catch from her sobs. He reached into his backpack with one hand as he kept the other around her. He'd really thought of the worst when he found out she was missing and he'd packed in consequence. He pulled out a water bottle, unscrewed the top and held it to her.  
  
"Drink up," he told her, his own voice wavering as he saw the state she was in. She took the bottle and chugged down half of it before she came up for air. "Helena…"  
  
"I couldn't… couldn't remember my own sister's name. It took a whole hour for me to finally get it again… Cecilia, Cecilia, Cecilia…" she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut.  
  
"I was trying… to remember her name… and I realized it wasn't the only thing I couldn't remember." She whispered. "I can't lose them, Will, I can't!"  
  
"You won't… he whispered, rocking her in his arms. She'd grabbed the papers again.  
  
"Today! It's today! Evelyn Marie Pratt a.k.a. Evie born November 1st 2010."  
  
Shortly after - Norwood home.  
  
Will had finally managed to get Helena to his car and he'd driven her home. When they got there, the house was empty. He brought his distraught girlfriend home and helped her into bed.  
  
"Got to find a way home…" she spoke slowly.  
  
"You're trying, I'm helping." She closed her eyes.  
  
"Will… I've been here for almost four months. I'm thinking it's not going too well."  
  
"We'll find more books…"  
  
"No. No more books… I can't deal with books anymore," she shook her head.  
  
"Then what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Find… someone who can help."  
  
Helena told Will to call her parents, tell them she was home. He asked her what he'd tell them about her disappearance. She asked that he tell them she'd been taken by a demon but they'd vanquished him now. Telling them the truth would mean telling them The Truth, and she still couldn't do that.  
  
She went to shower and change, coming down the stairs just as her family came through the door. "Oh sweetheart…" Paige gathered her daughter in her arms. Helena squeezed back.  
  
"Mom, I'm okay."  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, no I'm fine. I just need to do something right now. I'll be back later."  
  
"You just got back."  
  
"Mom, I have to." Without another word, she pushed past her awed family and walked out the door.  
  
"Will, you know what's happening, don't you?" Eric asked him. He was hesitant to speak. "She wasn't taken, was she?"  
  
"No," he finally admitted.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"I can't tell you. I promised her."  
  
"Then promise us something. Keep her safe."  
  
Minutes later, Will and Helena were walking together. "It wasn't right, the way you treated them." She sighed.  
  
"Will…"  
  
"No. They're really worried about you." He paused. "You should tell them the truth."  
  
"We've been over this."  
  
"If you don't, I will." That stopped her. She turned to him.  
  
"You're not serious."  
  
"Aren't I? Helena, they're worried. And they have no idea what's going on. I know, and I'm terrified."  
  
"You're terrified? I'm forgetting them, Will. More and more. I can't be weighed down by this. If they find out, it'll become this whole big thing and it shouldn't have to be. Margot, Samuel, and the others shouldn't have to know they might not have existed four months ago. My aunts, my father… they shouldn't have to know about their state in my world. If I stay distant, I stand a chance of giving them their Helena back. And I want my world back. I want my little sisters, my brother and my step-dad, little Persia, and Molly and Olivia... I want to experience us from the start. Don't get me wrong. I love the people here as well. I don't want to lose them either. But this isn't my world, we both know it." There was a moment of silence. Finally, he brought her up close to him. They were silent for a while longer.  
  
"I think… maybe I shouldn't go with you. This is something you have to do, I know. I also know this is something you might have to do without me." She looked up at him. "I'm still here for you." She kissed him, with all the despair and fear that had been building up inside her this whole time. When they finally broke away, they remained clinging to each other for some time.  
  
"I love you…" she whispered, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "Tell them I'll be back as fast as I can. But please don't tell them about me. I-I'll do it once I get back." Taking away any possibility of hesitation, she let go of him, turned away and ran to cover so she could orb.  
  
Two weeks later - New York City  
  
Helena could feel her stomach grumbling. She was okay with using her persuasion power on waiters to make them leave left-overs behind but there weren't that many restaurants in this great big forest. It just seemed to go on forever. It was just her and her thoughts here.  
  
It was for sure, she felt bad about the way she was acting around those who cared for her as they did. But all that was happening to her was rather traumatic, and now it was affecting her… it would only cause problems for her to be with them at this moment.  
  
Over the past couple of weeks, her memories of her own world had been in for some pushing and pulling. Every little while, she would test herself, run through topics, see if the knowledge was still there. It was getting harder every time… and there were some pieces that had completely escaped her now. She at least knew that they were missing. If it ever came to where she didn't even remember having forgotten, then this would be a real problem.  
  
The first day after leaving San Francisco, she spent it in tears. It took a while before she was able to manage enough of a clear head to get going. She found her first destination to be her grandparents in Chicago. They never knew she was there, or if they did they never came to stand in her way.  
  
She broke… orbed… into the magic store and started looking for a person. She wasn't sure who, or what, she was looking for, but somewhere here she'd find something. She found information on a type of being called a Locator.  
  
For all intents and purposes, much like in the case of Augmenters, they were humans. There was of course something that made them not quite human. This gift made them to be very coveted but not so eager to reveal themselves. If they were to fall in the wrong hands, their power could be used for evil's schemes and this could not be allowed. For that reason, they were hard to find.  
  
That was where her search started. She gave herself ten days to find one. It was worth the time if it meant gaining an ally. And it was on the ninth day that something finally came through.  
  
A good witch she'd met in Boston told her one was believed to live in her sister's building in New York City. She stayed with the witch, Livia, overnight. The next morning, she orbed to the Big Apple. There she first visited Livia's sister Anny. When she got there, she was informed of a new hitch in her situation. The woman, the possible Locator, had taken off an hour before, with a duffel bag and her sleeping son in his bassinet.  
  
Anny had quickly thought of scrying for her. She had something of hers, a piece of clothing she'd picked up by accident when getting her laundry from the basement.  
  
Scrying brought her to the forest where she now was. It took some time before her senses caught on to someone being nearby. "Don't be scared. I won't hurt you… either of you." No response. "P…please… I really need your help. I need to get home, to my real world. You have to help me find someone to get me there." Still nothing. "Look… you can sense I'm good, can't you? I need your help…"  
  
"Alright," a voice came from behind her. She turned, coming face to face with a woman, late twenties, holding close to herself a bundled up baby boy. Helena breathed in relief. The woman still looked kind of scared but she looked at Helena and spoke again. "Orb us home and I'll find you someone."  
  
She found out her name was Anastasia Mason, but she went by Stasia. Her son, Connor, had not shown powers yet so it was possible he'd be like her. That meant more danger for them, so they had to be careful, all the time.  
  
She found her someone indeed, a surefire kind of deal, an oracle of good. The one thing that worried Helena was Stasia saying the word "should" when she talked of whether or not she'd agree to see her.  
  
The location she found herself in when she orbed to where Stasia sent her was confusing… She was still in New York, she was in Central Park. She was told that once she got there, the rest would accomplish itself on its own. She wasn't sure what that meant until she started walking again and realized she wasn't directing herself. Whatever was in control of her, she had to admit she was a little scared of it. But she didn't fight it.  
  
She was led to an empty spot, lined with heavy bushes. Then the ground before her split open to reveal a flight of stairs going under the earth. There she regained control of her actions. She took a few deep breaths and started down the stone steps. Even if she knew it was pitch black, she could still see all around her, even once the ground closed again.  
  
After reaching the ground again, she found herself in a large cave. But it wasn't as she'd expected. The stone walls were smooth and even, the room taking on a definite dome shape. There was light, though she couldn't tell where it came from exactly. It was everywhere. There were chairs, a table, a bed, a television… kind of cozy.  
  
"Hi." She jumped at the sound. Turning around, she found no one, but when she turned back, there was someone… a child, a girl of no more than five years from what she could tell.  
  
"Hello," she smiled crouching.  
  
"I've been expecting you," the girl nodded. Helena blinked. "I'm Aymara."  
  
"You… you're the Oracle?" She nodded again. "But… you're just a little girl." She smiled.  
  
"Don't let my appearance fool you. I've been on this earth for millenias. Before words, before witches, whitelighters, warlocks, even demons. I chose this appearance because it pleased me the most." There indeed appeared to be strength and wisdom in her innocent features.  
  
"So if you knew I was coming, then you probably know why I'm here." The oracle went and sat on the bed, crossing her legs "indian style" as they called it. She indicated a nearby chair.  
  
"I'd like to hear it from you." Helena sat.  
  
"Well…" Then Aymara laughed.  
  
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that,"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Just let me see here…" Her deep blue eyes became milky white. "Yes, here we are. I thought I'd sensed a shift," she chuckled. "Well that explains it, doesn't it?" Her eyes became normal again.  
  
"What happened to me?" Helena asked.  
  
"Very simply? Your getting hit by that energy pulled the you of your world into this new world. It wasn't supposed to happen like that, but it did, and now here you are with the knowledge of two worlds in your head. Though from what I've seen, one of those isn't as clear as it was, am I right?" She nodded. "Thought so." She paused, then stood. "Now let's see how we'll get you back home." Helena stood as well.  
  
"You can do that?"  
  
"Well, I can't exactly wiggle my nose and there you'll be, but I can help you in the right direction. Now you live in San Francisco, so your access point to here will be a park again, Golden Gate. Right now I want you to go home. Pushing away your familial bonds is not the answer here. Go to them. Come to the park in 13 days, November 29th."  
  
"That's another two weeks!" the burst escaped her. Aymara gave her a look. "November 29th, okay, " she nodded.  
  
"I'll see you then," Aymara nodded back. Next thing Helena knew, she was outside, in Golden Gate park.  
  
"Guess I should get home," she sighed. She hoped her parents wouldn't be too mad at her.  
  
One hour later - Norwood home.  
  
"I'm sure she'll come back soon sweetie," Phoebe reassured her sister as they sat at the kitchen table. Piper joined them, bringing the tea she'd prepared along with three cups. "Whatever's going on? It'll be over eventually, you know?"  
  
"You've been saying that for the last two weeks." She wasn't angry at Helena, not even a little bit. She knew that, as Phoebe said, this mystery situation would work itself out. Her girl was strong like that. What worried her was not knowing where she was or how she was.  
  
"Look, whatever she's doing, I'm sure Leo's been following her but just won't tell us. And if he won't tell us, then she has to be okay," Piper went on.  
  
"Maybe…"  
  
"I'll stay tonight," Phoebe took her hand. "I'm sure the kids miss you," she told Piper.  
  
"You guys don't have to do that," Paige smiled lightly." I have Eric, and Margot, and Sam… I just want her too…" she began to cry. Piper and Phoebe stood encircling their baby sister in their arms. The floor creaked lightly behind them.  
  
"You've got me…" The sisters turned as one. Helena stood in the doorway, crying like her mother.  
  
"Froggy… oh, Helena…" Paige released her sisters and gathered up her daughter in her arms. "I was so worried…"  
  
"I'm so sorry…" she cried.  
  
"Don't be, don't be," she pulled back so that she may look into her eyes. "I just want to know that you're okay. That's all that matters, you know that. If you need to do something all on your own, I'll back you up 100%."  
  
"I-I just couldn't… I can't… tell you all of it, it's too complicated, I don't even really understand it myself yet." Paige nodded. "And I'm alright."  
  
"Welcome home," Piper took her turn in the hugs. Helena's eyes flinched at that, but they didn't see. Phoebe hugged her last, nearly cutting off her air supply. If her months in this world had done one good thing, it had allowed her to get to know her father and her aunts better, something she was truly grateful for.  
  
"Is dad… well… is he…"  
  
"Mad?" Paige asked. "You know him, he's doing the silent thing. But he's not going to blow out at you. You should call the precinct, let him know you're here."  
  
"I will" Helena nodded.  
  
"After that, we are going to have at least some kind of a talk."  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Thirteen days later - November 29th 2025 - Golden Gate Park.  
  
That day when she'd gone back home, she'd called her father. As assured, he'd been relieved more than anything. That and what she saw from her family over the next days really touched her in a way that helped resettling her after the initial panic. The fact that she had, and still was, losing things still was something she felt frightened about. But the love and support she got from her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and of course Will, kept her determination strong. They continued to be there for her despite the way she'd treated them, despite the fact that they knew she was keeping secrets from them.  
  
It took a minute or two before her feet began doing the not-of-their-own-accord walk. She was taken to a 'private' spot, and the entrance formed. She went down the steps and arrived back in the room where she'd been.  
  
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" was Aymara's greeting. The oracle child stood from her spot in front of the TV. Helena shrugged. Aymara imitated her and giggled. "For what you're trying to do, you're going to need allies. You can't do this alone. Now, you already have two."  
  
"Two?"  
  
"Will Hyland," she held up one finger. Helena nodded and smiled. "And you have me," up went a second small finger. She smiled again. "I have two more for you." A piece of paper appeared in Helena's hand. "You'll find them there. Ask for the owners. They'll be expecting you. I'll let you out at their city's access point."  
  
Minutes later - Atlantic City, New Jersey  
  
Helena had arrived here and she felt good. She had some memories which hadn't left her yet, of the other world and coming here with her family one summer. She got herself a map of the city and thanks to a helpful shopkeeper, she was able to get her path figured out. It wasn't too far and she enjoyed the walk. It was kind of cold, but it didn't matter.  
  
She arrived to the address on the paper. It was a small bed and breakfast called The Pea Pod. In the yard in front of it, she found a girl gardening. She looked up at Helena.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hello," Helena smiled. The girl, about eight years old, stood.  
  
"Welcome to the Pea Pod. I'm Katie."  
  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Helena."  
  
"Are you looking for a room?"  
  
"Uh, no, actually… I'm looking for the owners." Katie nodded and hurried up to the porch and through the door. Helena followed. A few seconds later, a woman came in from the dining room.  
  
"Hello. I'm Hannah Spring, co-owner. I was told you were looking for me?" Helena nodded. "Well, what can I do for you?"  
  
"Uh…" she approached the woman. "I was sent here by a… small friend. She said you'd be expecting me," she spoke in a low voice. Hannah became serious as she nodded.  
  
"Right this way." They went toward the back, to the door labeled "OFFICE - EMPLOYEES ONLY". Inside, a man was at the desk. "My co-owner and brother, Tyler Spring, and…"  
  
"Helena Norwood." Tyler stood and shook her hand. Hannah closed the door.  
  
"Aymara's been a friend of ours for years. She helped us a lot when we were younger," Hannah explained.  
  
"How so?" The siblings shared a look.  
  
"Our parents were both witches. Our father was never a factor," Tyler started.  
  
"Mother raised us at first. Until we were sixteen."  
  
"What happened then?" There was a pause.  
  
"She… turned. Switched sides in a bad way," Tyler went on, and the look on the twins' faces was one of sadness.  
  
It was lost on Helena, as some things began clicking in her mind. And she wasn't liking the conclusions it was bringing her to. She looked at the two of them.  
  
"Sarah…" She stood. "Sarah Spring. She's your mother?" She shook her head. "I-I have to go, I'm sorry." She orbed out and to near the main door before making her way out. There she saw Katie back in her garden. It was then she noticed a resemblance.  
  
"You're leaving?" the girl asked. Somehow she couldn't storm out on her.  
  
"Do you… live here?" She nodded.  
  
"Me and the other kids have rooms in the basement. Mom and Dad, Aunt Hannah and Uncle Dean have theirs on the main floor." So she was Tyler's daughter… Sarah's granddaughter. She was still just a sweet little kid… like Kiana was. She was starting to understand where her Aunt's problems with her were coming from. She also now knew she could try to help the situation get better once she'd be home again. For now, she had to get over herself.  
  
"I'll be back," she told the young witch. Katie nodded and went on gardening. Helena turned back to the door. Up the stairs she went again, With unwavering determination, she went through the door and toward the office. She walked in, closed the door behind her and going to sit across from Tyler and Hannah. "So…" The twins, who'd just turned thirty, shared yet another look. She later found out they had a connection similar to Phoebe's twins.  
  
"Aymara told us about your situation. And that you might be jilted once you'd know who our mother is," Hannah explained.  
  
"You don't have to worry about us. We haven't been in any real contact with her since she turned fourteen years ago. Her friend Cynthia, a witch as well, helped us get away. She saved us," Tyler went on, the last part lined with sorrow. "After she died, we found out the reason we'd been so well protected was in part due to Aymara. Since then, we've helped her as she's helping us."  
  
"That's partly why she sent you to us. She likes to pass messages along with her help."  
  
"I'm getting that," Helena nodded. A second later, the door opened and a small girl walked in, all pigtails and sunny blue eyes.  
  
"Mama, dinner ready!" Hannah went and picked up the four-year-old.  
  
"Helena, meet my daughter Mary." The tot hid against her mother, shy in front of the stranger. "Would you like to join us?"  
  
"Maybe later. Right now there's something I have to do," she stood as a flash of pure brilliancy came shooting at her.  
  
Shortly after, Aymara's cave  
  
"Everything go okay?" Aymara asked innocently.  
  
"You could have told me who they were."  
  
"Would you have gone?"  
  
"Maybe… probably not."  
  
"You have to trust that I wouldn't send you somewhere if it wasn't safe."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Now. What can do I for you now?"  
  
"You said I need allies. Well, I need one more. I don't know where, but I know who." Aymara nodded.  
  
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  
  
Helena was still surprised about how she could just travel to Aymara's world from anywhere in the world and travel to anywhere from her world like this.  
  
The city was completely unknown to her. This only made things a bit more complicated, but nothing she couldn't handle eventually. Before heading into the exact destination she was given, she went to a phone booth.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Tommy, what are you doing there?" she laughed.  
  
"Hanging out with Sam."  
  
"And answering the phone?" she teased.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Is my mom there?" she asked as some action nearby caught her eye.  
  
"Uh, no. She's at my house." Something was happening nearby, something supernatural. She was sure of it. And it wasn't something good."  
  
"Okay, well tell her I'm in Milwaukee now, and I'll call her later. Got it?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Later." She hung up and ran off to where whatever was happening was going on.  
  
She found two demons praying on an old woman, a younger woman, and a young boy. The woman in the middle had a deflection shield up, but it didn't seem to be bothering the demons. They continued to approach.  
  
"Hey!" Helena called to them they turned to her.  
  
"What do you want?" one asked.  
  
"Oh, a lot of things. For now though I'll settled for a double vanquish."  
  
Before she could move in though, she felt someone approaching quickly from behind her. She could feel witches around her at times, something she understood likely had come from her grandpa Sam.  
  
The person she'd felt ran past her, a battle between him and demons breaking out. He appeared to be in his early twenties, and what she saw there awed her. She'd never met him face to face, but she knew it was him. His face… there was no doubt.  
  
She was pulled from her thoughts when she saw he'd gotten rid of the demons. He went to the three hostages, made sure they were alright, and sent them on their way. Then he started walking away.  
  
"Wait!" He stopped and turned to her.  
  
"What?" She walked up to him.  
  
"Look, this is going to sound weird, but… I need your help… to get back to my reality."  
  
"I see. And why do you ask me? I don't even know you."  
  
"I know you don't. Truth is I don't either. Not really. But in my reality, you know some people I know." He looked puzzled.  
  
"I see," he said again. "Why should I believe you?" he asked.  
  
"Because…" I have to get home. And I need people helping me I know have the strength, the courage, and now I sound like one of those shows they used to have on TV." He grinned.  
  
"So who's this 'common friend' of ours?"  
  
"She's my cousin…" He looked at her as she became quiet. He seemed to understand.  
  
"Someone else too, isn't there?"  
  
"Yes… My niece. My niece and your daughter… Nate."  
  
TBC... 


	27. Ep 14 Cost of a Dream Life, part IV

Hey guys :) Okay, I'm putting this chapter up one day early because tomorrow I'm leaving for vacation. So today I'm preparing and tomorrow well I'm leaving before six in the morning and I won't have time. Anyhoo I didn't want to forget to do it... So here it is!  
  
Part 4: Surrendering  
  
November 30th 2025 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin  
  
"What's her name?" Nate asked, sitting on the broken down couch of his home of four years. After Helena's 'revelation' he'd asked to relocate their talk. "My…" he hesitated.  
  
"Molly. She's… well, I guess she's three now." He looked at her.  
  
"You're close with her mother, your cousin you said?" Helena nodded. Nate stood, began to pace. "Does she hate me now?"  
  
"What?" Helena asked.  
  
"You said… you said you didn't know me. If you don't know me and you're close to her, then I'm not there. I'm a deadbeat dad…" he was building up into a slight panic.  
  
"No, no, not at all!" Helena insisted.  
  
"Am I or am I not with them in your world." She hesitated.  
  
"No… you're not."  
  
"Then I ran out on my family… again." She remembered what this was about, Prue had said something about his brother.  
  
"It wasn't even like that!"  
  
"How could it not?" he sighed, sitting again. Helena reached deep within the memories of home she still had, particularly something her romantic heart had memorized since the first time Prue had finally shown her.  
  
"Dearest Prue. I came by your apartment earlier, heard you talking with your friend. I know what's going on. I thought about what I could bring to our child, and I came up blank. I have nothing to offer so I have left to find that. I don't know how long it will be, but when I do come back, I promise you I will be someone better for you both. I love you, more than I ever thought possible, and it's thanks to that that I know this will all be worth it. And I know you won't be alone, I know you will get through this like always… head held high and fierce strength in your eyes. Take care of yourself, of our baby, never forget. Love always, Nathaniel."  
  
Nate kept his eyes on her as she recounted the words of his equivalent of her world. The more she spoke, the harder it became for him to keep it together. When she stopped, he lowered his head. They remained motionless, soundless, for a moment which seemed to go on forever. Finally he stood and looked at Helena.  
  
"I'll help you." She nodded. He held up a hand. "On one condition." She didn't need further explanations.  
  
"Come on. I'll take you to her."  
  
The next day – December 1st 2025 – San Francisco, California  
  
Helena and Nate arrived on Prescott Street, standing across the street from the Norwood and Halliwell homes. Helena had just explained to Nate who lived where when they saw the manor's door open.  
  
Prue walked out to the porch accompanied by a guy about her age Helena had never met. Both were smiling, laughing, arm in arm with the other. They kissed before the guy left, Prue waving him off with a smile. And on one of her fingers they spotted a ring shining in the sunlight. If it were possible, Helena's jaw might have hit the ground.  
  
"I'll come by once I've found myself a place to stay at while I'm here, alright?" Nate said quickly before leaving.  
  
"Wait!" Helena tried but he was already gone. She looked back to the manor with a sigh. She watched the mystery man get in a car and drive off before she crossed the street and took a run up the front steps. She took a second to gather herself up again. She couldn't let them see the freak out she was experiencing at the moment as the steps she'd been working so hard at to line up toward her own true reality were being smacked up against a brick wall she'd never seen come her way.  
  
"Helena, hi!" she was grabbed by her cousin as she walked into the living room. "I feel like I haven't seen you since… forever. How are you?"  
  
"I-I'm good… Prue… It's good to see you too. How I am? Well, uh, I have a physical for work tomorrow, I'm supposed to take over a little earlier than planned." She noticed her aunts sitting there looking kind of awed. "Who… was that guy I saw leaving before?" Her cousin's face lit up.  
  
"That was Adam. And as I just told Mom and Aunt Phoebe… he's my fiance. We engaged back in Boston!" Prue had been away with school for the past month there.  
  
"F-fiance?" she repeated. "But… we hadn't even… met," she stuttered.  
  
"I know, I know. They said the same thing. What can I say, it all happened kind of fast."  
  
"You don't say…" She put on a smile for her cousin, who just seemed really happy right now. "Congratulations!"  
  
"Thank you! Anyway, I was hoping you could be my maid of honor?" It was all coming so fast, but even then the words came tumbling out of their own accord.  
  
"Of course."  
  
Two days later – December 3rd 2025 – Will's apartment  
  
Will came in, tired from his long workday, ready to crash into bed immediately. Only when he walked past his small kitchen, he spotted someone sitting at the table. Taking a step toward the room he recognized Helena from behind. "Well this is a nice surprise," he walked over to her. He kissed the top of her head before she looked up at him. "What's up?"  
  
"Sit," she spoke quietly. He did so, never taking his eyes off her. She looked at her hands, lying limply on the table. "That time is kind of blurry to me, which is why what I'm about to ask will sound weird…"  
  
"You can ask me anything it's okay," he promised her, keeping as serious as she was.  
  
"That time when you found me after the party kind of… crazy… and you brought me home… Before… we came back… Did we…" She got quiet, then looked at him. He understood the referenced awkwardness then.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded. "What's this all about?" After a pause, she spoke up.  
  
"You know how I had that physical yesterday?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well… they called earlier."  
  
"Is everything alright?"  
  
"I-I'm fine, I am. It's just a bit of a… situation."  
  
"And this has to do with last month?" Even as he said the words, the pieces fell in place in his mind. "Ah," he nodded. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Well, surprised. I didn't even remember we'd…" She stopped. "This is so unreal." She looked at him hesitantly. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"Well… I'm wondering about your intentions, your feelings… Because, personally? There are no doubts for me. I know it's sudden and it means some adjustments, but I don't care. In my book, this is amazing news," he told her, taking her hands in his. Her head had been lowered the whole time, so he couldn't see her face. Finally a tear splashed on the table. She raised their joined hands and kissed his. She stood, making him follow.  
  
"So I guess we're doing this," she smiled through the tears. He smiled back. "I'm not crying out of sadness, I'm just really happy. And well, hormones," she laughed as they hugged.  
  
"And I know someone who'll be a happy grandma…"  
  
"Oh geez! My parents!" she winced.  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"After all I've put them through lately, and Prue's engagement… Do you think they can take one more big thing?"  
  
"There are worse things to announce."  
  
"Right. Well, we have to do it right."  
  
"Take your time. Besides, there are other things on your mind right now."  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
December 4th 2025 – Norwood home  
  
Helena sat at the living room window, looking for her father's car. She was going to tell them both, once he arrived. She herself was still adjusting to the idea. She knew that her child… this world's Helena's child… would remain in this world when she left it. That wasn't something she'd accounted for in the past months' plans for her return… home. To be honest, she wasn't sure anymore where she belonged, here or there.  
  
She saw the familiar old car make its way into the driveway. "Showtime…" she sighed. They'd decided she should tell them on her own, then depending on how things went, they'd decide on the next move. She stood and waited.  
  
"Good evening," Eric greeted his daughter.  
  
"Hi," she smiled uneasily. "Uh, Mom, can you come in here a sec?" she called out then.  
  
"What's going on?" Eric asked grinning. Paige came in.  
  
"Hey, is everything alright?"  
  
"I was just asking that," Eric shrugged.  
  
"There's something I need to tell you. Please, don't freak out on me, okay?"  
  
"That's not usually a good method to make people calm down," Eric pointed out. She decided to use in part the same approach she had with Will.  
  
"Alright well, see, I had my physical for work last…" Before she could continue, the doorbell rang. "Excuse me," she held up a finger before rushing to answer. Opening the door, she found Nate. She turned back to her parents. "Just a couple minutes," she told them before going outside. "Hey, look… I had no idea about her and this guy, I would have told you."  
  
"It's okay," he assured her. "Did I interrupt something?" She winced.  
  
"Little bit. Look, give me your address, I'll drop by first thing in the morning." After he'd left, she gathered herself up again and returned inside. There she found her parents sitting on the couch. "Sorry about that."  
  
"Helena, what's going on?" her mother asked.  
  
"Right, well… how do you guys feel about being called Grandma and Grandpa?" she asked calmly.  
  
"You're…" her father started. She nodded. He stood, taking her face gently in his hands. He gave her a reassuring smile, kiss on the forehead. "You had us worried for a second." Helena smiled back. Paige stood.  
  
"Froggy…" she hugged her daughter, a few tears running down her cheeks. "How are you feeling? Doing okay?" She nodded. "Does Will know?" She nodded again. "How'd he handle it?"  
  
"About the same as you. So… you're okay with all this?"  
  
"Of course. You two will make great parents, I know it," Paige smiled.  
  
"I learned from the best."  
  
Next morning – December 5th 2025  
  
Helena arrived at the location Nate had given. It was a small hotel, clean and cheap. She went to the door of room seven and knocked. He answered a few seconds later.  
  
"So. What's the plan?" asked Nate.  
  
"W-well… I was thinking of maybe getting everyone together, a little face time to let everyone meet. Then we can discuss what we have."  
  
"Good," she stood from the small couch. "Meet me in Golden Gate Park a week from today at noon," she made her way to the door.  
  
"Hey, hold on," Nate stood as well. She turned to face him. "Are you okay?" She looked around.  
  
"Sure… Why do you ask?"  
  
"For one thing, if I'm going to be here for that long, I don't know if I'll have enough to stay in this place. Two, if you want to get home so much, why are you setting the meeting so far away? I mean, there's something different about you. Don't you want to get home anymore?" She blinked.  
  
"Of course." She paused to think. "I have to make a call."  
  
Shortly after, Atlantic City, New Jersey, The Pea Pod  
  
"Helena!"  
  
"Hey Katie, how've you been?" Helena asked the girl smiling. She'd run over to her the second she'd seen her.  
  
"Oh, you know, working on my garden," she nodded. Helena laughed.  
  
"Welcome back." Katie, Helena, and Nate behind her all looked up. Hannah had joined them. "Kit, can you go keep an eye on your siblings and cousins?" The girl nodded and ran off. "This must be Nate." He nodded. "Nice to meet you, I'm Hannah."  
  
"Thank you so much for doing this…" Helena spoke up.  
  
"No problem," Hannah assured her before holding a key out to Nate. "You're in room 2, it's down that hall and to your right." He took the key and went off to settle in. "So how are you doing?"  
  
"Me? I-I'm good," she nodded. "Good and pregnant."  
  
"What?" Hannah asked with a smile. "Congratulations! When'd you find out?"  
  
"A couple days ago."  
  
"Well, after three of my own, I might be able to help… the other you… and you… if either of you need it. Did that make sense?"  
  
"More or less," Helena smiled. "And… thanks." She told Hannah about the meeting the next week and orbed back to San Francisco.  
  
When she arrived home, she took a deep breath. One week of peace and semi-normalcy. She couldn't ask for more now. She went up to her room, where she found Margot reading while lying stomach down and feet up on her bed. "Hi," Helena greeted her. Her sister didn't look up but she waved her hand around in her general direction. "Did they tell you yet?" she asked her as she sat across from her on her own bed.  
  
"Mm?" was Margot's response. Helena smirked.  
  
"Uh. So they didn't tell you you were going to be an aunt?" That seemed to break her reading daze as she looked up to Helena. She nodded. Margot's jaw dropped a bit before there was a squeal and the now-sixteen-year-old was up and across the room in bare seconds.  
  
"Really?" Helena nodded. "Wow! This is great!" Helena laughed. "W-when are you gonna…"  
  
"Early August I think," she nodded.  
  
"Awesome!" Margot continued with the excitement. "So… does this mean you're moving out?"  
  
"Afraid so. But it's that or you're getting two new roomies." The joy was smaller now. "Hey, I'm not going to Antarctica here. We're always only an orb away from each other."  
  
"Fine. But I get first dibs on babysitting duties." The sisters broke into laughter. Helena pulled Margot closer, arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I love you, you know that?"  
  
"Love you too… Wonder if she'll play baseball."  
  
"Oh, she'll be a star alright."  
  
Three days later – December 8th 2025 – Halliwell Manor  
  
With the combined announcements of Prue's engagement and Helena's pregnancy, a family dinner was to come without a doubt. And that night there they were, Charmed Ones, spouses, children, and Will and Adam.  
  
"So… how'd you guys meet?" Helena asked Prue. She supposed she shouldn't judge the guy as she didn't know him yet, and Prue did seem happy with him. But her 'loyalties' were with Nate and Nate alone at the moment. He was The Guy.  
  
"Uh, I guess it was at the beginning of term, late August?" Adam started, turning to Prue.  
  
"Yeah. We sort of crashed into each other at the bookstore."  
  
"More like literally crashed." Prue laughed. "I think I still have a bump on my head." Prue made to check for one with a smile.  
  
"We ended up talking for a while. After that, we became friends. It pretty much stayed that way until the month we spent in Boston with school. Things kind of changed there. And on the night before we came back, he proposed."  
  
"Have you guys set a date yet?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Soon. We're thinking January," Prue announced.  
  
After dinner, Helena sitting on the couch with Prue. As they were "the women of the hour", they had been "barred from cleaning duties".  
  
"This is going to be so odd."  
  
"What do you mean?" Helena laughed.  
  
"You, big. Little stick-figure Len…"  
  
"I'm not a stick!" she laughed again.  
  
"I'm just teasing you," Prue winked. "Still… I guess I always figured I'd be the first, with being the eldest and all." And then Helena just said it, opened the 'secret box' to her oldest and dearest confidant.  
  
"You were…"  
  
"What?" Prue laughed. Helena looked around. When she saw no one was around, she took Prue's hand and orbed them both to the Norwood attic. "Helena, what are you doing?"  
  
"I-I know this is going to sound like I've lost it, but you have to hear me out, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Prue nodded slowly.  
  
"I thought I understood it all myself, but the past few days, I don't know…" she rubbed at her eyes with a sigh.  
  
"It's okay sweetie. Just take a couple deep breaths."  
  
"Do you remember that time back in July when Padget spent a night in the hospital?" Prue nodded. "Do you remember earlier me acting kind of strange?" Prue thought before nodding again. "What's your take on alternate realities?"  
  
"I ended up in one a couple years back. I never really told anyone except Mom, Dad, and the Aunts. It was mostly kind of disorienting at first…" Prue turned to Helena then. "Oh…"  
  
"At first things were simple. I wasn't in any danger, it was nice… I was trying to get home, but if it took some time it wasn't that big a deal. But then… I started forgetting things about the other world. And now there's the baby… I don't know what to think anymore!" she cried. Prue gathered her up into her arms.  
  
"Alright, look… It's probably best I don't know too much about that other world. But I do believe you. I also know you, and I know you'll figure things out. And in the mean time, you take good care of yourself and of my niece…"  
  
"Okay," Helena smiled.  
  
December 12th 2025 – Golden Gate Park  
  
"Are you ready?" Helena asked Will.  
  
"Sure. It's no big deal. I can handle it."  
  
"It's okay to be freaked out."  
  
"It is? Good," he nodded. Helena squeezed his hand and Will smiled. Soon after, the two were in Aymara's cave. Nate, Tyler and Hannah were already there along with the oracle.  
  
"Hello," she greeted Will. "I'm Aymara. You must be Will. Nice to finally meet you."  
  
"Likewise," he nodded.  
  
"So what happens now?" Nate asked.  
  
"Well, from what I was able to find, this is what we know: The first world had two out of three Charmed Ones killed fifteen years ago. But, luckily, the remaining sister's daughters revived the line. Now this world, not only are the original Charmed Ones alive, there is only one of those new Charmed Ones present, Helena. My senses tell me our solution lies somewhere in how we didn't get those other sisters. The first world had them because Eric was killed and Paige remarried. In this world, he lived. I believe his survival is what caused the other changes. Because he was there, Piper and Phoebe lived. Because he was there, and so were they, new children were born. Now he survived because someone saved him that wasn't there before. Find his savior and you should find your culprit."  
  
"How do we do that?" Hannah asked. Aymara stood.  
  
"That's why I recruited you two."  
  
April 12th 2006 – San Francisco, California  
  
"I'll say this. Life with you is never going to be boring," Will looked into the glass of a store front at his reflection, or at least the reflection of a ten-year-old Tyler Spring. Helena laughed, herself having the reflection of a ten-year-old Hannah Spring.  
  
"Thanks." Aymara had explained that as a precaution in case their bad guy could spot time travelers, sending their souls to inhabit existing people could be safer. "How are you doing?" she asked as they left Golden Gate Park. As their personas, they'd been in the Springs' home in Seattle. They'd snuck out and headed to somewhere near the Space Needle. Aymara had said she loved landmarks and 'famous spots'. After a pass through the cave they'd exited in San Francisco.  
  
"Oh, I'm doing good, I think."  
  
"Okay then let's go. We can't be late." They made their way to the coffee shop where her father had been attacked and saved. They hid a distance away and waited.  
  
First came Eric. He went in the shop. When he came out a few minutes later, Will/Tyler and Helena/Hannah watched as he walked to his car. When he got there, the warlocks appeared. Before they could even grab him, another person entered the scene. He wore a large hooded shirt, the hood pulled far down and hiding his face completely. He vanquished the warlocks without much effort at all, something which wasn't too reassuring for Helena and Will. Once the warlocks were gone, the mystery helper/troublemaker walked off. Eric, still kind of dazed, didn't follow. The other two did follow though, all the way into the nearby alley that held the hooded man's portal home. They almost feared they'd lose him until he pulled down his hood a second before going through and disappearing along with the portal.  
  
"I'll be damned…" Will/Tyler mumbled.  
  
"No… it can't be him. There has to be an explanation, it just…"  
  
"Adam."  
  
When they got back to the cave, their time, and their bodies, they told the others about what they'd seen. The opinions on what they should do differed. Some wanted to confront him right away, others didn't. Helena wanted to make sure they had all the facts straight before they moved forward. In Atlantic City, Nate and the Spring twins would look into information on Adam Bates. In San Francisco, Helena and Will would keep an eye on him, look for suspicious activities. Once those directions were handed out, Helena and Will went back to California.  
  
December 25th 2025 – Norwood home  
  
Helena lied in her bed, loving the complete silence around her. All she could hear was the distant sound of birds chirping. Her parents and siblings were next door getting things ready for the Christmas family dinner. They'd let her sleep in.  
  
Lying there, along with herself and her thoughts, things had a peace to them she just loved. And in this particular moment, it would provide a sudden clarity she'd never seen coming.  
  
Lying on her back she looked down. She lifted up her shirt off her stomach, ran her hand across it. There was nothing to see yet, she knew that. But at the same time she couldn't help looking, like she'd suddenly see something that wasn't there before. Like she'd see real visual evidence that inside her belly there was a tiny little person, growing and moving.  
  
Sometimes she spoke to her, because she believed for sure this was a girl. She was the one person she could tell anything and everything to without ever worrying about it getting out. It wasn't that she didn't trust Will or the others who knew, but there were just some things she wasn't able to share.  
  
She could have just stared at her nothing of a belly for hours. It was almost hypnotizing. She remembered all the times she'd watched in wonder as month after month the bellies of her mother and her mother's sisters would grow with each pregnancy. She was always curious about it. Now she'd finally know about it first hand. It was her turn.  
  
There was something she hadn't told anybody about yet. She'd spent an hour in the tub telling her "Miniwitch" the previous night but no one else. She hadn't told anyone about the doubts which had begun tormenting her over the past few days. She couldn't even really make sense of it herself.  
  
This world… it felt real. These days it felt more real than the other world. The other world was feeling more and more like a semi-vivid dream and not a whole lot more than that. She wasn't even really sure either if she was just imagining it, if it could be called a world.  
  
She remembered continuing attempts to leave her world for this place… this place where her father, her aunts… were gone, this place where she and Will weren't even together, this place without her baby. She didn't understand it.  
  
A few hours later, she had showered and dressed and was heading over to the house next door. Walking in, she breathed in the sweet scent of her Aunt Piper's cooking.  
  
"Merry Christmas!" She turned at the double sound to find Pad and Pen coming in from upstairs.  
  
"Merry Christmas guys!" she greeted her cousins with a smile. As she hung up her jackets after putting the presents she'd brought under the tree, Phoebe, Jason and the kids came in.  
  
"Hello-o-o!" Emily called to her three cousins with a large grin. Having heard the noise no doubt, the group in the kitchen joined the greeting line. At one point a hand grabbed on to hers and pulled her out of the 'pile'.  
  
"Hello gorgeous," Will smiled at the sight of her. She smiled back.  
  
"See any mistletoe around?" she asked with a grin in her voice if that was possible.  
  
"We can always find some. If not, I think I have some in the car."  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Oh, I cleaned out the store's stock."  
  
"Perfect," she giggled.  
  
A few hours later, as they were discussing the still complicated task of picking a name, Prue came in from the kitchen.  
  
"Dinner's ready. Everybody to the tables!" In big dinners like this, they'd finally had to settle for making two tables. Squeezing everyone at a single table was just too complicated, not to mention uncomfortable.  
  
"I'm starving," Helena heard Thomas say as they were moving around to find their seats.  
  
"You had a bunch of chocolate before!" Charlotte reminded him. He looked at her as though saying 'Your point being?' She rolled her eyes. Thomas just had that sort of limitless appetite.  
  
"Just tell me when you see the potatoes coming," he told his sister as he scanned the dishes already present. Along with a very good stomach he had a passion for food and cooking. He and Piper could spend hours talking about it. He'd already told Piper he'd take over her restaurant whenever she'd retire.  
  
An hour later, her beeper went off. It was Nate. He'd been calling over and over since the previous afternoon but she hadn't called back yet. In all honesty she wasn't sure what she'd tell him when she saw him. She was about to find out. There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Uh, I'll get it," she told the others before getting up and heading for the door. She opened it just a bit. There was Nate. "H-hey."  
  
"Why aren't you answering?"  
  
"It's Christmas, Christmas dinner. I was and am busy. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not just that. It's been like that for days."  
  
"Nate, please…" she whispered.  
  
"I call and call, you don't answer. When you do answer you're vague and brief."  
  
"Nate…"  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter. Listen, I have some information."  
  
"Not so loud. My whole family's in there. And him too," she whispered still.  
  
"We really need to talk. Can you come?"  
  
"N-no."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I told you, Christmas dinner."  
  
"But it's really important." And she paused.  
  
"Maybe it is. But I can't. I've made my decision." Another pause. "I'm sorry, Nate, I really am. But I'm not leaving anymore. I'm staying here." And she closed the door.  
  
TBC 


	28. Ep 15 Cost of a Dream Life, part V

Okay so this is the last part of the five-parter. I can't believe it's already done sniffles ;) Please note that after this one there will be two more 'episode format' chapters, and then it'll be back to the format I was using at the beginning :)  
  
Part 5: Time to go  
  
-------  
  
January 2nd 2026 - Hyland home  
  
"Keep 'em closed."  
  
"I am!" Helena laughed as Will led her around their apartment. She'd finally moved in that morning, and he'd asked her to close her eyes, saying he had a surprise for her. "Are we there yet?" she teased.  
  
"Don't move," he let go of her shoulders and she felt him pass in front of her before hearing the sound of a door opening. "Okay. You can look now." She opened her eyes and a huge smile spread across her face.  
  
"Wow…" she whispered. "It's incredible…" she looked around the small room, all very slow to try and see everything. What had once been his gym/office space was now a serene and bright nursery. The colors were white and yellow on the walls. Any coverings, hangings, plush toys, they were found both in pink and blue. This was on the off chance this child would defy the 'probably a girl' rule of the family she later found out. "How…"  
  
"The family chipped in," he admitted. She continued smiling.  
  
"You're the best," she came to kiss him.  
  
"You're even better," he smiled when he saw her blush. "Think you can handle another surprise?"  
  
"I'll brace myself," she nodded with a smirk.  
  
"Right then. Here goes…" he knelt down. He heard her muffle a squeal and it gave him courage. "Helena…" He held up a finger and stood again. "You do know what I'm about to do, right?" She nodded. "I just want to tell you I'm not just doing this because of the baby." She nodded again. "Truth is I've been trying to do this for months." She smiled. "Okay," he breathed before returning to his knee. "Helena, you're the love I waited for, for as long as I can remember. And now that you're here, with me… We don't have to be apart anymore. Will you marry me?" She was crying by then.  
  
"Will, a million times yes," she smiled. He stood and kissed her.  
  
"That wasn't so hard…" he smiled back.  
  
"You did good," she nodded as they kissed again.  
  
January 6th 2026 - Bridal shop  
  
"Two weeks to go. How are you feeling?" Helena asked as she sat outside the dressing room.  
  
"Just a couple butterflies," Prue told her. "Or possibly thousands…"  
  
"It's gonna be fine," Helena laughed. "And don't you get me nervous about that."  
  
"Right, you're next."  
  
"Yeah but not for a bit. We're gonna wait until after the baby's born anyway. Maternity wedding dress is out of the question." Prue laughed.  
  
"You could always do it now, before you get to that point. We could have a double wedding."  
  
"Mm, yeah, I don't think so."  
  
"Shame…" Prue told her as she stepped out in the third dress she'd tried.  
  
"Wow… I like this one," Helena nodded.  
  
"Yeah, well unfortunately the price tag doesn't like me," she sighed, looking at her reflection. Helena checked it out.  
  
"Yikes. I'd tell you to dip in the Daddy fund, but… whitelighters don't get paid, uh?" She gave Prue a smirk. "Mommy fund?"  
  
"Nope," she shook her head. "I'm not gonna bother her with that. It's just for one day, right?"  
  
"I don't have mind-reading powers and even I know you're counting in your head right now to try and buy this here dress," Helena squeezed her cousin with a smirk. Prue sighed and smiled at once.  
  
"Any suggestions?"  
  
"Not yet, but I'm working on it."  
  
Later that day - Hyland home  
  
"Honey, I'm home!" Helena called out sweetly, unable to hold in the giggle it caused. "Will, you there?" she called when there was no answer. "Mm, guess it's just you and me," she patted her belly. Still not much of anything to show there, but she insisted to all that she was getting round.  
  
When she arrived in the kitchen, she found a box with a piece of paper lying on it and saw it was a note from Will. It started with 'Hello dear girls", so it was definitely for her, and Miniwitch. The rest explained he'd gone to see his mother because she'd called. At the bottom it said the package was hers, it had been sitting on the ground in front of their door. She picked up the light cardboard box and headed into the bedroom. She kept sneaking looks at it, wondering what it was, as she changed for that night's dinner with her family. Finally when she was done she sat on the bed and opened the box. What she found struck her silent.  
  
The contents of the box were a single object. It was slightly dismembered and rumpled, but it was a single thing. A notebook. She lifted out a single detached page at first. It was her own handwriting, that she could recognize, but what the writing said was foreign to her. That is until she read closer.  
  
"My sisters and I were each born in odd situations. I was born in my dad's car, parked behind mom's office. He delivered me himself. Diana was born in a car too. Only we were stuck in major traffic. A police officer delivered her, and officer Connors is still a friend. Cecilia, eternally Birdy, was born miles up in the air. She was born on a plane somewhere between Chicago and San Francisco."  
  
Diana… Cecilia… the names sounded familiar, but… sisters? How could that be? She went on reading. Getting further and further into it, she saw the handwriting get more frantic, broken, sentences written with the strictly necessary words and only those, like it needed to be put down before it was too late. But… too late for what? It took her over an hour to get through the whole book. But on the bottom cover she saw a neatly written message, again in her handwriting.  
  
"I fear this ever happening, but if it does, I come prepared. I gave this box to a little friend, made her promise if things got bad enough with the vanishing memories she would send this back to me. I know it's easy to get comfortable in this world, trust me. But you can't forget about where you came from, where you have to get back to. You are Helena Matthews, not Norwood. The two may share a body right now, but you can't forget which one you are. We have to get home."  
  
She dropped the notebook and sprang to her feet, getting away from it. She was hyperventilating, getting dizzy. For the last little while she'd managed to ignore those strange dreams she kept having, dreams telling her she didn't belong there. She didn't want to think about that. She knew where her place was. It was here, with Will and with their baby. But just because she didn't want those thoughts to be there didn't mean they'd listen. She still had those thoughts, everyday. Now there was this book with page after page of the things she'd been trying so hard to ignore. It was too much.  
  
Before she could do anything more though, she felt a familiar pulling feeling. "No…" It wasn't possible. She was far from the park, how could this be happening? How it was happening would have to be addressed later as she felt herself start to orb. "Stop! No!" she screeched. But it was too late. Next thing she knew she was in the park, walking to the forming hole in the ground. "Stop or I'll…" the next words didn't get out, as her voice was suddenly gone. Soon, she was in the cave, Aymara standing near.  
  
"You said I might need to use force, but I had no idea… alright, maybe a tiny… little… idea. I am an oracle after all," she shrugged. Helena gave her a look. "I'm keeping you this way now because it doesn't look like you'll listen otherwise." A tear rolled down Helena's cheek. "Listen. Normally, I wouldn't get involved. But this case is different. More than ever, you need to know what's at stake. All I ask is that you hear what I have to say. Then you leave if you want to. Do we have a deal?" Helena looked at her. "Mm. Blink once for yes, twice for no." After a second, Helena blinked once. Aymara nodded. A moment later Helena had control of her functions once again. "Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"  
  
"No. Thank you."  
  
"Alright." Aymara turned and went to one side of the room. She returned with an empty crystal bowl. It was big, but she was very strong despite her height and stature. She placed it on the table in front of Helena before sitting next to her. She began mumbling something Helena couldn't make out. The inside of the bowl began to shimmer, then ripple as if it held water, the level of which rose higher and higher with each moment. When it reached the edge, it stopped. To her surprise, it was suddenly a hard surface. It was as transparent as the bowl and only seemed to be an inch or two thick, like a cover. "Look," Aymara instructed calmly, pointing to the surface. Helena sighed, looking like she wasn't too affected. Truth was she was terrified of what she'd see when she looked.  
  
First she saw two young girls, a redhead and a blonde, ages 13 and 11. It was nighttime, in a bedroom. The blonde… C-Cecilia? She was trashing within the covers, whimpering indistinctively. She was sweating, eyes shut so tight… The redhead came running… Diana? Was she remembering the notes? Or was she remembering?  
  
"Shh, Cecilia, it's okay. Relax sweetie, "Diana sat on the edge of the bed, then altogether laid down next to her sister. She brought her arms down, stopped her trashing. As she began settling, Diana continued with the soothing noises, smoothing out her rumpled hair.  
  
"Little Cecilia has truly changed over the past months. There's her big sister's disappearance but there's also nightmares she's been enduring. Only Diana's been able to help her. But she's a different person than she was almost six months ago. And Diana has problems of her own to deal with too. She's been keeping all those emotions, her fears of losing you, all bottled up inside of her and she doesn't know how to let them out."  
  
The image changed repeatedly as Aymara next spoke. Images of all those she held dear… her uncles, cousins, Simon, nieces, Will, and for a reason she didn't understand she also saw the other whitelighters along with Leo.  
  
"Your whole family's been coping as best they can, but that doesn't always work. Your disappearance has remained a mystery to them, no matter how and how much they tried to understand or undo it. But none have had it harder than your poor mother…" Helena turned to Aymara before looking back as the image changed again.  
  
What she saw made her tremble, tears shuddering themselves down her cheeks. The Paige in the glass was so different from the Paige she had here in this world. This one had not even the tiniest speck of a smile on her face, sitting on her bed with a tray of food in front of her. She ate slowly, as though she were on auto-pilot. There was a light knock at the door. Cecilia stood there, unsure whether to come in or not. Paige saw her and her face softened. She waved her over, pushing the tray away. Cecilia walked over and climbed on the bed. She lied down close to her mother, putting her head on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her. Paige did the same on that, closing her eyes. Time passed and Cecilia was sleeping. Glen came in and gently picked her up. Paige seemed sad of her removal though she knew it was necessary. When Glen came back, he lifted his wife now. He walked, holding her, out of the room and down the stairs. There he rested her in a wheelchair, taking her out the door and down a ramp installed at the stairs. He wheeled her around for a while. The image froze on her mother's face.  
  
It was her mother, no doubt, but that face… it was hard to explain but she just looked… old, older. Her mother who was the bright sun in her life now looked devoid of any light. Aymara looked at her, at Helena as she looked on.  
  
"Your mother had it the worst. She may have other people in her life, but after losing your father, your aunts… it was you… who got her through the next day, and the day after that, and each following day after that. When you disappeared, when she lost you, she lost her strength of life. And she tried desperately to get you back, harder than she even tried with the others she lost. Eventually, one of those attempts cost her the remaining use of her legs that she had. So for the past two months she's just… given up on true living. She barely even leaves the house anymore except for maybe doctors' appointments or when they take her on rides around the neighborhood."  
  
"Make it go away," Helena stood. Aymara did as well.  
  
"That's not all. There's more to this, a lot more. The problem with these reality splits is unless something is done about it one reality, the first, will get… phased out… after a while. And that's what's about to happen here. Unless you go back and put in a link between the two, they'll cease to exist. I'd say you have maybe… a week and a half before that comes to pass." Helena turned to look at her, crying. "I know you're happy here. But you'll be happy there, too. Sometimes you have to look at the big picture even if you don't want to." There was a long pause. Then finally she closed her eyes.  
  
"What do I have to do?"  
  
"First? Get your team back. Best of luck."  
  
Milwaukee, Wisconsin  
  
Nate was awakened by a constant knocking at his door. He ignored it at first, hoping whoever it was would just go and leave him alone. After a few minutes he started some voices in the hall. He recognized a couple, angry ones, as that of his neighbors. One wasn't one of theirs, and it took an instant for him to realize whose it was. He jumped out of bed, pulled on a t-shirt above his old blue PJ bottoms, and went to open the door.  
  
"Real sorry about that everyone, won't happen again. Good night!" he called to the others as he pulled Helena into the apartment and shut the door. They were silent for a minute. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to do this thing anymore."  
  
"I wasn't. B-but I am now. Really. No turning back again. I'm really sorry, Nate. I wasn't fair to you. I should have just told you what was going on…" He nodded and went to sit.  
  
"Go on then. Tell me." Helena sighed, started pacing around a bit, then stopped to look at him.  
  
"Okay, well… it's simply that… I found out I was pregnant not long after we met up. And well, I guess I started thinking with that part of me. I didn't want to have to leave this baby behind and… I surrendered to this world. I had something great going and I didn't want to lose it. So I decided not to. These thoughts about another world, they were so blurry to me now… But then I was told about some other things and I realized that… I was being selfish and in this case it wasn't an option. So I'm up for starting on this investigation again. I'm talking resolution within the next week."  
  
Nate continued to look at her as he had done as she talked. Finally he stood and went to a cabinet and opened a door. Out of it he pulled a large envelope. He returned, placed it in front of her.  
  
"I continued to look into this guy after that day. I guess I was hoping you'd change your mind. In there's everything I could find on Adam Bates. One thing's for sure, he's not who he says he is, or at least who he says he is… it's new. I consulted some of the most reliable and powerful people I know and they're all saying the same thing. It doesn't matter how old his records look. Adam Bates came to exist not even a year ago, not even six months. He's been here since the fifteenth of July last year." Helena's jaw wavered.  
  
"Oh… so it is him… he's the guy." Nate looked at her. "That's the day I came, too… Oh no…"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The wedding… we have to stop it, we can't let her go through with it, but… it's gonna break her heart."  
  
"We don't have a choice. It's better that she knows. Do you want her to keep living a lie like that? Besides… what if he decides to make a move and hurts her or any of the others?"  
  
"You're right. I just wish we didn't have to hurt her in the process." Nate nodded. "I'll get back home, try to think of something. Can you come along, keep an eye on him? You're welcome to stay at my place, however long it takes…"  
  
"Sure. But you know you have to tell her."  
  
"I-I know. I will. I'll talk to her tonight."  
  
San Francisco - That night  
  
"You're moving up the wedding?"  
  
"I know it's a surprise. Believe me, I thought we'd do this in a couple weeks, that we'd have more time. But his parents are leaving for this month-long second honeymoon, and well…"  
  
"Well… when?"  
  
"Next week…"  
  
"Next week?"  
  
"On the fifteenth," Prue nodded. Helena cringed inside. That was the date of her six-month 'anniversary' here in this world, and she'd given herself that date as her return home deadline. She really hoped she could manage some kind of solution before that.  
  
January 15th 2026 - Halliwell Manor  
  
Helena looked at the great old clock. She wondered many times how it managed to keep working throughout all these years. She was almost hoping it would finally let out and this would somehow greatly delay the day's events. At least then she wouldn't have to unleash her plans on her still unsuspecting cousin's big day. With the event moved up suddenly as it was, she never had the chance to actually tell her. Now it was too late, and it would mean pain at its peak for the Halliwell bride.  
  
Over the week, between a doctor's appointment which confirmed Miniwitch's 'girliness', dress fittings, rehearsals, errands, work, and so much more, she and her team had somehow managed to figure out what exactly it was they had to do that day. They knew they had to vanquish Adam, at which point they hoped Prue wouldn't be present. Aymara had said that once Adam was gone things would work themselves out. They didn't exactly know, weren't told, what this entailed, but they knew questioning the oracle would be useless, so they didn't try. Still, nothing could prepare her for how they'd even get to the point of vanquish. That was because basically they had no idea. And for the first part, Nate and the twins couldn't be there.  
  
At 11:30AM, Helena was asked to go 'pick up' some very important guests. She went up to the attic. After the familiar spell was cast she found herself in the presence of four ghosts, those of her great-grandmother, grandmother, 'grandfather', and Aunt Prue. Though they were transparent at first, it didn't last long. That was a good thing, as the Bates didn't know their future daughter-in-law was one of the great Halliwell witches. Adam knew, had taken the news well. When Prue had told her this, she'd felt almost sick. But she couldn't think of that now. Now, she had ghosts to entertain.  
  
"Darling, you look radiant!" Penny Halliwell greeted the girl with a hug.  
  
"Thanks," she laughed lightly. "So I take it you know then."  
  
"Of course. And we couldn't be happier," Victor spoke up. Even though technically he wasn't her grandfather, it had never been an issue. He would forever be Grampa Vic.  
  
"Thank you. Now remember no magic talk, and especially no mentioning your dearly departed status," she instructed.  
  
"Don't worry, we still know how to act human. And alive," Prue 1 assured.  
  
Helena led the four of them downstairs. The Bates family had yet to arrive, which allowed for the ghosts to greet the family in any way they wanted to. Helena left them and went back upstairs to Piper and Leo's room where Prue 2 was getting ready. She walked in and the sight she took in gave her another pinch. There was her happy cousin in her wedding dress. How could she possibly do this to her?  
  
"Wow, Prue… you look amazing…" She turned to her.  
  
"Thank you guys so much for the dress. You have no idea how much this means to me."  
  
"Y-yeah," Helena nodded. "You're welcome." She left the room shortly after. She couldn't bear looking at her right now, knowing she'd lose that beautiful smile by her hand. When she got downstairs, the doorbell had just rung. Samuel answered the door to find Adam there with a couple they guessed were his parents, and a man and a woman, his siblings Rob and Sue. Who these people, what these people might truly be frightened Helena a bit. He had four people to back him up. Four more to vanquish.  
  
"Hey Sammy, how are you?" Adam asked, tapping him on the shoulder. Helena wanted to knock him so far away for touching her brother, no matter how innocent it was.  
  
"Good. You're supposed to get ready downstairs." Adam nodded and went off, his father and brother following.  
  
"We'll go say hello to the bride," Mrs. Bates spoke before going up the stairs with Sue. Helena watched them go before going to the living room window and looking out across the street. In the Pratts' living room window she saw her own back-up. The teams may have been uneven at the moment, but if all went as planned it wouldn't be the case for long. For now though they were at a standstill, waiting for the moment of action.  
  
"Are you alright?" Patty came up to Helena. She turned to her grandmother, wondering what she meant. "You don't like him, do you?" She shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't tell," Patty smiled.  
  
The ceremony was only a few minutes away now. Most of the people were gathered in the dining room where it was all set to take place. Prue 2 was still up in her room. Leo would get her and walk her down when the time came. Rob Bates was outside getting something from his car. Padget was out observing him from behind a bush. She'd appeared taken with him from the moment she laid eyes on him. The family found it sweet, and Helena didn't think they'd risk ruining the ceremony, so she let her cousin sneak looks to her heart's content.  
  
What came next didn't leave time to stop and plan a careful course of action. It would have to do.  
  
"Alright, it's time," Penny spoke up. "Leo?" she turned to him. He nodded and started to turn for the stairs. Then Penelope whimpered.  
  
"Honey? What's the matter?" Piper asked her youngest. Leo stopped and turned to her as well.  
  
"Padget… terror… panic… trouble," the young empath cried out with her eyes shut tight. A rush of panic took the Halliwells. "Quickly!" The whole Halliwell clan took off toward the kitchen. They didn't need to go further as Padget came running in through the wall and into her mother's arms.  
  
"Padget, what's wrong?"  
  
"H-He's a… a… demon!" she stutter-screeched. A moment later, Rob came charging in with blood-red eyes. "I-I just wanted to talk to him," her voice broke.  
  
"This is impossible…" Piper blinked.  
  
"Well, I find it quite possible actually," Adam spoke from behind. They turned to find him, Sue, and their 'parents' with similar eyes now. "Shame you had to find out, really. Six months in blissful ignorance of what had happened to your world. Well… not complete ignorance. Isn't that right Helena?" They turned to look at her as she slowly moved through the group. "I always knew I wasn't the only one who had a bit more awareness than all others but I could never figure out who. But what I did know was this person would eventually be revealed to me. And today you gave all the proof I needed." She stopped between Thomas and Margot. "Must feel pretty useless, don't you? Six months here and all you managed was to get your equivalent pregnant. Couldn't find your way home?"  
  
"I have a way…" she spoke slowly.  
  
"Really. How's that?" he laughed.  
  
"Kill you." He nodded.  
  
"And you intend to do that how? You'd never risk harming poor little baby."  
  
"You're right." She grabbed Thomas and Margot's hands and closed her eyes. Two seconds later, orbs started coming together between Helena and Adam. There stood Nate, Tyler, and Hannah. "They, unlike me, don't have that problem." Though he didn't seem as confident, Adam still looked pretty sure.  
  
"You're still no match, all of you."  
  
"Did you think that was it?" They turned to the door, where Livia Martin stood, her sister Anny behind her. And behind them, there was Caelin Desmond and her students. Helena had visited them a few days before, told them what they needed to know and they were in. She'd also called in a favor to the Nicolae women, as even in this world Ava was still her doctor. They'd prepared a few charms for them.  
  
"Still think we're no match?" Helena asked coolly as the five demons looked around. The two so-called parents were the first to try and make a run for it. They attempted to shimmer out and shortly after, they were burned up and dust. "Might be a good idea not to try that one again."  
  
Sue tried to charge at the family, wielding a fireball. Hannah moved in and after a short tussle they were one more demon down. Nate turned to Adam, his hands crackling with energy already. Just then though he was tackled by Rob. The blast hit him and to their collective shock, he flew off toward the ceiling and crashed through. There was a screech from above and they realized he'd landed in Prue's room. She must have started being impatient, forgotten up there.  
  
"Sam, go get him!" Helena told her brother. Without a question he levitated up through the hole and a moment later Rob fell through to the ground. He looked up at them. Nate blasted him again, this time with a boost from Henry, and this time he was gone.  
  
"Adam?" they heard from above. Prue 2 flew down through the hole, in her beautiful dress, face sad but no tears present. He looked at her with a smirk.  
  
"Yes, love?" She closed her eyes. Helena took the opportunity and reached for a dagger she'd hidden in her dress. She moved up to Adam with his back to her. As she struck, she whispered into his ear.  
  
"This doesn't even cover what you owe for the pain you caused my family. Eternal torment should help balance the scales. After he was gone, Prue 2 ran up the stairs.  
  
"I'll go talk to her," Nate went up to Helena. "Good luck. It's been a pleasure," he smiled and tapped her on the shoulder before following the tearful bride.  
  
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Penny spoke up after a minute.  
  
"Helena, what was he talking about?" Paige asked.  
  
"If you'd allow me, I think I can give them a pretty good idea of it," came a familiar child's voice. Helena was almost unsurprised when she looked to the stairs and saw Aymara standing there.  
  
"Goodness… it's been a while," Patty spoke up then. Aymara gave her a nod.  
  
"Just close your eyes everyone," the girl instructed. Helena watched uneasily as one by one they did so. Aymara did the same and looking at them Helena could tell they were seeing things. It worried her a bit what they might be shown but still at this point she'd learned to trust Aymara. After a few minutes, they opened their eyes… and she knew they knew.  
  
"What happens now?" Eric asked.  
  
"I go back. You'll have your real Helena back and I'll be… where I… should be," her voice wavered. She may have known she was doing The Right Thing, but she still didn't remember this 'true home' she was going back to.  
  
Margot came and hugged her. "No matter what, you're my sister too," she spoke in a teary voice. Helena hugged back.  
  
"Ditto." Aymara went to where she'd been standing and retrieved two large boxes, one bigger than the other. She gave the small one to Paige and the large one she kept next to her.  
  
"Don't open it yet," she told Paige. "Same to you," she continued toward Helena. "But first, there's something that needs to be taken care of." She indicated for Margot to step away. The group watched in awe as Helena began to shine then glow, then… widened. As the lights dimmed back, there were two Helenas. The one with longer hair seemed in slight shock. In shorter hair as had been the case before she arrived, Helena Matthews was now back to herself, soon would be off to her world. "Take this. You'll be home in no time. Just so you know… I know you're sad to leave behind those you'd gotten back in this world. But you won't have to worry about that, I promise. You'll understand. Safe journey. Perhaps we will meet again." And Aymara was gone. Helena M. was slightly dazed by this sudden turn of events, but something else caught her attention. Memories… they were reforming. She smiled.  
  
"You take care of her," she told both Will and the other her. They nodded. She couldn't stay there like that anymore, not when she knew her time in this world was almost over. "I love you, all of you, and know I'm thankful… these months have been priceless… G-goodbye…" she told them all, orbing to the attic with her box.  
  
She sat below the window, hugging the box and closing her eyes with a sigh. Soon she felt her head get light, her whole self actually. She was going home, back to her world, to the family she still didn't quite remember.  
  
TBC 


	29. Ep 16 The New Mrs Dean

Okay, so I'm putting this one up kinda early 'cause there's bad weather and in case I can't get on later...  
  
Now this is the last before last chapter in 'episode format'. After that, it's back to the first format. The way I figure it, it'll mean I won't post for the few weeks after next week. Since it's not in a locked fifteen-sheet format anymore, it doesn't work the same. But don't worry, I'll start getting chapters 31 in as soon as I can :)  
  
And now... chapter 29! :)  
  
---  
  
The Attic  
  
"Who's in here?" Cecilia pushed the door open. She'd heard a noise as she'd passed in front. Her instincts told her to go check it out. Walking in she saw the top of someone's head peaking out from behind a sofa next to the window. She wondered if she should go get help until the person made a sound like they were waking up. It sounded like a girl. Cecilia stood there, waiting to see what might happen. "Hello?" she tried again.  
  
"Cecilia? Is that you?" the person spoke then. Cecilia's voice lodged itself in her throat. She watched as she lifted her head into view… Her…  
  
"H-Helena? Helena!" she ran over, diving into her arms. The returning witch welcomed the embrace, squeezing her just as tightly.  
  
"Birdy, Birdy, Birdy… look at you…" she cried. She kissed her sister's tear-streaked cheeks. "You don't have to be afraid anymore," she whispered.  
  
"Cecilia, what's going on?" Diana walked in at that moment. Her eyes became wide as she watched her big sister stand along with Cecilia.  
  
"Come here…" Helena smiled. Diana didn't have to be told twice, joining the hug. When Simon and Glen next came in, Helena's eyes became very close to releasing a near-torrential new wave of tears. She remembered all too well how she'd felt when she'd found out the other world's Glen was dead. Seeing her dear stepdad alive and well again was just better than anything she could have hoped for. But still that was nowhere near what she felt when she went to find her mother down in her room.  
  
The others let her go ahead on her own, let the two have their reunion. Helena stood outside the room, her hand hovering above the knob. She looked back to the group, standing a short distance away. Glen gave her encouragement in a smile.  
  
When she pushed the door, she saw the room was dark, curtains and lights both shut. She walked up to the bed. Paige was asleep. Helena sat on the edge and looked at her mother. Seeing what losing her had done to her, Helena felt all kinds of horrible. For taking so long, for almost not coming back… She couldn't ignore the fact though that, if offered the chance again, she might consider it once more.  
  
Paige stirred, as though having a particularly troubling dream. "Shh, relax, everything's going to be okay. I'm here. I'm here…" Paige's eyes opened, focusing on the dark figure there.  
  
"You're not real…" her voice cracked. "You're a dream."  
  
"No, Mom, it's me, look…" Helena cried, taking her mother's hand to touch her cheek. She reached over to the lamp on the night table and turned it on. "It's me…" Paige's eyes welled up, never letting go of her face.  
  
"H-Helena?" She nodded. "Oh… oh, honey… I thought I'd lost you…" she sat up to hug her.  
  
"I know, Mom, I know… But I'm back now. I'm not going anywhere."  
  
As the next few hours passed, she could see things change in her mother. What Aymara had told her was rolling through her mind again and again. She could see it, the light returning a little at a time. To see it as well, how much her mother loved her… it made things just a little easier, missing her other family and hearing about not only what she'd missed but what her disappearance had caused.  
  
Prue had found herself a more permanent home. With the girls growing as they were, she felt it was time. Her new home was about equal distance between the Manor and the shop. And in something not unsimilar to events of nearly seven years before, she'd been hunting, going after demons looking for answers… For the girls' sake she was more careful this time, but her determination didn't change.  
  
The girls themselves had been dealing with missing their dear Auntie Heli. Persia, nearing her seventh birthday, still went on with her life. She hadn't really talked to anyone about it, but in the past months she'd developed a certain power of heightened awareness. And perhaps the reason why she wasn't too worried was because she could feel her Aunt was closer than they thought. Paige wasn't told about this, knowing it could have been wrong. As for Molly and Olivia, at age three they couldn't truly understand. It didn't make them miss her any less though. Paige told her what she knew, the whole time unable to take her eyes off her Froggy.  
  
Finally it came to the question she'd been wanting to avoid. "What happened? Where did you go?" And in a response that seemed almost too easy, she closed up.  
  
"I… I-I don't really feel like talking about it. Not yet. I-is that okay?" Paige nodded, kissed her on the forehead. They continued talking for a while, and there she picked up a few valuable pieces of information.  
  
She found out that Will now knew about her secret. How it all came to be was in great ways what she imagined it to be, an inevitability. What got to her was that her family actually trusted him enough to do so. According to Paige, he was dealing but still he couldn't wait for her to finally return. Hearing this calmed some of her worries.  
  
When Paige next told her about the whitelighters, there returned confusion she'd faced about their involvement in all this. There was Lauren, who'd been watching over them a lot more closely. Cara had become a close friend to Paige, and she visited almost every day. This in ways went a long way in her accepting the idea of Leo and Cara being a couple. Leo had been ready to clip his wings when Helena disappeared. But when that happened, he decided to hold it off, both knew he was needed much more in a whitelighter capacity at the moment. Then there was Peter. In an almost Leo-way-back-when fashion, he'd gone into isolation. No one knew why. Difference here was if need be, he could be contacted and would come back for it.  
  
Around eleven, she asked Paige if she minded her going home for the night. She seemed hesitant to let her go, like when Glen had pulled Cecilia away, but she did so on the promise that she'd be there the next morning for breakfast. Helena accepted and, after getting an address and many hugs, she and her box were gone.  
  
Prue's home  
  
"Well, well, well, look who's up. What's my little fairy princess doing up at such an hour?" Prue walked to Molly standing at her bedroom door. She lifted her into her arms with a smile. Every time she saw her it was like a bolt of lightning, a jolt… she'd made this… her perfect little witch… her and Nate. Molly herself treasured the pendant around her neck, the one that had earned her the fairy princess nickname, because she knew where it came from, whom it came from. Prue wasn't sure if she understood it all, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she knew she did have a Daddy out there somewhere, and he loved her very much, and he'd be back someday.  
  
"I lost Mr. Blacky," the little one put on one mighty pout. She loved her mother's old bear, often couldn't sleep without him at her side.  
  
"You did? Well let's go find him then." After finding the misplaced bear and getting Molly back to bed, Prue returned to the thing she'd welcomed the distraction from: the bills. She'd barely gotten to her chair when the doorbell rang. "Oh thank goodness," she pushed away from the papers. "Normally I'd be a bit ticked off by a late visit like…" she opened the door and stopped mid-sentence when her eyes met the late visitor's. "Helena?" She nodded and Prue had her in a hug within a second.  
  
"I'm sorry about the time, I was just hoping…" Prue looked at her, and she knew she'd gotten something from her mind.  
  
"It's okay. Come on in, I'll show you the way."  
  
C/Piper's home  
  
"Leo? Leo? Someone's knocking at the door," she shook at his shoulder to wake him up. He'd finally moved in to the apartment, and it felt good to have a certain part of her old life back.  
  
"They'll go away," he mumbled, half-awake.  
  
"Could be important," she reminded him.  
  
"Alright, alright," he smiled to her and got to his feet. She followed a few feet behind him. He opened the door and much like all the others had when they first saw her, he was initially shocked but then adjusted and hugged her.  
  
"Hey Uncle Leo, Cara," she greeted them. Cara hugged her as well and there was an odd familiarity about it, only she couldn't figure out how.  
  
"It's so good to see you again. Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"I will be," Helena nodded. "I need your help about something though."  
  
Shortly after, Lauren orbed in. Once again as they hugged, there was a strong 'déjà vu' kind of feeling. None of that compared to what she felt when they called Peter in and he arrived. He saw her and his face smiled. She saw it, and she recognized it immediately…  
  
"D-dad?" she blinked. The others were just as shocked that she was able to identify him. But for Helena, it put a few more pieces in place. "Aunt Phoebe… Aunt Piper…" she looked to Lauren and Cara. "So that's what she meant…" she whispered to herself with a breath of relief. "Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"We wanted to…" P/Eric started the near-routine explanation.  
  
Next morning - January 16th 2026 - Halliwell Manor  
  
After breakfast, which was almost like a great big holiday family meal as everyone had shown up, Helena went out. She'd made a promise months ago, and holding it right now was not only being honest but also giving herself some needed encouragement. There was something about being back that she wasn't addressing. Truth was she just wasn't ready for it.  
  
She arrived at the college and made her way to Will's office. Her mother had told her he'd been given a full-time position, despite a short amount of experience. This position came with an office and possibility for him to continue taking classes at night. When she got to the office, he wasn't there. She decided to go in anyhow, waited for him there.  
  
She sat on the small sofa he'd managed to squeeze into the small space. It wouldn't felt right going through his things to maybe find out when he'd be there even though waiting was a pain.  
  
She must have dozed off because next thing she knew, she was waking up… and she was not alone. She soon realized she was lying down, covered by a blanket, and her head on someone's lap. She turned her head up kind of groggily and saw her 'pillow' was Will's lap. Before she could stop herself, she gave him a great big smile. "Hi…" Finally the events leading to her waking up came back to her. She tried to sit up, a little too fast at that, and fell right back. Will swiftly caught her. She started laughing and he did too.  
  
There was a peaceful silence between the two for a minute after that, eyes locked tighter than a heavy-duty lock. The moment was so perfect, nothing about it felt wrong. Not as he brushed hair out of her face, or as she held on to his other arm. When finally she sat up, they were within a few small inches from each other. Nothing came of that, both knowing it could be rushing it too much. She turned to a better sitting position so they could talk.  
  
"So… you know, uh?" He nodded.  
  
"They told me eventually. And I'm glad they did. I want you to know I'm okay with it. I'm not going to freak out on you." She smiled. "What happened?" She looked at him.  
  
"It's complicated… and a little too soon for me… But I was alright. No one hurt me. In fact, I was… happy. B-but I had to come back. This is where I'm supposed to be." Almost without effort, a date was set for dinner out in a couple of days. She left the office and went back to her apartment.  
  
No one was there and she was kind of happy about that. She needed some time to think after the day she'd had. She'd been back for a full day now, and things were feeling more and more real. Going into the bathroom to take a bath, she crossed the mirror. She stopped and stared at her reflection. Her hand came to rest at her midsection. She ran the hand across it. She broke into tears, feeling… nothing. Losing the people from this other world had been hard, but none of them were harder to lose than the little witch girl once growing inside her.  
  
Seven months later - August 28th 2026, Hyland home  
  
Helena went into the closet and retrieved the box, the one she hadn't dared to open yet. Maybe she was scared, maybe she was nervous. Whatever the reason, she told herself she'd waited long enough. Also she knew a few things should have happened by now, and she needed to know.  
  
She pulled the tape off the top and pulled back the flaps. On top, she found a heavy envelope. She opened it and looked inside. Her eyes grew wide. She pulled out the contents: a big photo album. Flipping through it she found pictures of the other world, the people she'd had to leave behind. At the end of it, she found a note.  
  
"This is my special kind of album. It updates. Call it your well-deserved reward. If you ever need me, you know where to find me. Aymara."  
  
Helena smiled, turning back to the last filled page, where new pictures began to appear. There was hers and Will's wedding, where in more than one picture she found the nice surprise of seeing Prue and Nate together. But the picture that got her attention was one that featured nothing but a few words: "Open the other present first." She set the open album down and turned back to the box. The other item there was wrapped in a thick piece of cloth. She lifted it out with great care, understanding its fragility. It was almost weightless though. She put it down and slowly opened the cover. Inside she found something it took her a second to recognize. It was the glass Aymara had made to show her this world. Actually it was half of it, and she was about to find out why. As she brushed her fingers against it, it lit up. When the light stopped, she was seeing what she thought to be a reflection of the very room she was in until she remembered that wasn't possible due to its present position. But then someone walked into the line of vision…  
  
"Will?" He looked, then walked over.  
  
"Hey… you finally opened it," he smiled and sat. She finally realized he was sitting at the small desk in the corner as she looked up to the same spot. She lifted the glass and brought it to rest against the wall, same as it was with him. She sat too.  
  
"Yeah, I did."  
  
"Well good for you," he nodded. "You doing okay?"  
  
"Yes. I did like you told me. You were right. Thank you." He smiled.  
  
"You're welcome. I hope you and your me are as happy as my you and me… Does that make sense?" Helena laughed.  
  
"It does, and we are… Will, I was wondering…" He nodded and got up.  
  
"Don't go away," he walked out of view. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might beat right out of her chest from the wait. Finally, he sat back at the desk, holding snuggly in his arms a brown-haired blue-eyed little witch of no more than a few days. "I'd like you to meet… Jillian Gail Hyland, though we call her our little Jilly-Belly," he smiled. Helena smiled as well, crying.  
  
"Hey Jilly…" she whispered, looking to the album where the pictureless frame now featured little Miniwitch Jilly.  
  
September 3rd 2026 - Dean home  
  
"So how's college?" Jason asked his daughters. He couldn't believe they were already eighteen years old. They had been just small babies a moment ago it seemed. But now they were living out on their own… and he was alone.  
  
"Well, we've barely started, so it's hard to have a set opinion yet, but I'd say so far it's looking good," Emily spoke up.  
  
"Yeah, especially in the library," Charlotte winked to her sister. Emily kicked her under the table with a smirk.  
  
"Anyone we know?" Henry asked, forever the watchful brother.  
  
"Nothing we need to talk about right now," Emily gave her brother a look. "So Dad, weren't you supposed to be off to another trip today?"  
  
"I was, I was," he nodded. "But there's something I needed to take care of here first," he put his fork down. Henry and the twins took notice.  
  
"Dad, what's going on? Is everything alright? A-are you alright?" Charlotte asked.  
  
"It's nothing like that honey, don't worry." He paused. "I know it'll come off like I should have handled this differently, and I probably should have. But sometimes these things just happen and there's nothing you can do to change I, so… just try to keep that in mind…" Another pause followed, and the Dean children were each imagining the worst. Somehow though, what their father said next never even occurred to them. "I met someone… actually I've known her for about three years now. It was mostly just talks when we ran into each other. Then it turned into monthly dinners. Then it became weekly dinners…"  
  
"And now?" Henry asked.  
  
That night  
  
"They're engaged?" Prue repeated into the phone.  
  
"We couldn't believe it," Henry went on. "I mean, it's not like we didn't expect Dad would start dating again eventually, but this is all kind of… sudden, you know?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm sure she's really nice. What do you know about her so far?"  
  
"Well, believe it or not, she's a witch. She told him when he proposed. She has two children, each from a different previous marriage. Her son is from her first marriage, divorced. Her daughter is of the second one, widowed. That's how she met Dad apparently. She was visiting her second husband, he was visiting Mom." Prue heard a doorbell ring through the phone. "Well, that'd be them. He called them over after the announcement, since well we should probably meet before the wedding and all… I'll call you later, tell you about it."  
  
"Alright, good luck!"  
  
Henry went into the hall to join his sisters as Jason went to answer the door. On the other side there stood a woman about his age, maybe a couple of years younger. Behind her was a guy, had to be about eighteen or nineteen, and firmly at her side stood a girl about twelve years old. She dared a peek up at the people and the surprise was equal on both sides.  
  
"Hi!" the girl greeted the twins with a large smile.  
  
"Reissy!" Emily and Charlotte spoke at once.  
  
"You guys know each other?" Henry asked.  
  
"She's Cecilia's friend, remember?" Emily told him.  
  
"You know Cecilia?" Reissy's mother asked Jason.  
  
"She's my niece," Jason laughed, suddenly feeling a little less nervous about these introductions. "Well, why don't I do this properly. Raina, these are my children, Henry, Emily, and Charlotte. Guys, meet Kurt, Reissy, and Raina," he took her hand. The atmosphere was a lot calmer than he'd anticipated, and he was greatly relieved there.  
  
A few days later, some bonding time was set up in the form of Jason, Henry, and Kurt going to look for tuxedos for the wedding. In this time, the girls and Raina went shopping for paint and furniture for Reissy's future room at the Dean home. She was a bit hesitant about leaving her old room and home, so hopefully this would help her deal. She was excited about the fact that she and Cecilia would be cousins, but that didn't help about her room.  
  
After an exhaustive run through the paint store, the group stopped for a break at a coffee shop. This was their first actual sit down conversation, and it was easy to tell they'd all been nervous about it. They were all quietly attending to their cup or glass. Finally, Raina spoke up.  
  
"I know this news may have come as quite a surprise, but you have to understand we never intended it to be that way. If you don't feel comfortable about having us here suddenly, I'll understand…"  
  
"We have no problems, really. No one wants our father to be happy more than us. And this makes him happy, we can tell. Losing Mom was hard… on all of us. But he shouldn't have to spend the rest of his life alone for our sakes," Charlotte spoke up.  
  
"And of course we'll need to adjust, but that's not that big of a problem. If we'd been younger, maybe. But now… You don't need to worry about us, Raina. Plus we're already buds with Reissy here, right?" Emily continued, winking to her future stepsister. The girl smiled.  
  
Over with the guys, while Jason was talking with the tailor about the adjustments to his suit, Henry was giving Kurt some helpful tips. "He promises he's okay with it now, but still it might be a good idea not to talk magic around him. Let's say it's a sore spot with him."  
  
"Okay," Kurt nodded. "Here's one for you: Watch out if Reissy's excited and runs to hug you. Her concussive power makes for a big blow." Henry laughed and nodded.  
  
"Not to get all mushy here, but it'll be good to have you around. I've always wanted a brother. Guess it's better late than never."  
  
"Likewise," Kurt nodded. "So you live on your own or still at home?"  
  
"I live with my girlfriend, my cousin, and my cousin's girlfriend. You're welcome to join us."  
  
September 21st 2026 - Dean home  
  
After a great party for Cecilia's twelfth birthday the previous night, everyone was still kind of in a happy mood the next morning as Raina and Reissy were moving in with Jason, and Kurt was moving with Henry and the others.  
  
Reissy and Cecilia worked together to set up Reissy's things into her new room, Henry's old room. They truly had gotten one of the best deals out of this in their minds, getting to be related to their best friend.  
  
That night, the family had their first dinner together as a family in a single home, the four who lived on their own being exceptions of course. And that night, there were announcements and requests to make with regards to the wedding, which would take place on November 14th.  
  
"Alright guys, we've talked things out and we've figured things out if you want to," Jason started, nodding to Raina. She nodded back to Jason before turning to the twins.  
  
"Emily, Charlotte, I'd be honored to have you as two of my bridesmaids." The girls smiled and nodded. "Excellent," Raina clapped once. She turned to Jason. He turned to Henry.  
  
"There is no one else I'd even accept as my best man."  
  
"Good thing I'm doing it, then," he grinned. Jason nodded.  
  
"Now, Kurt, Reissy, I was trying to think of someone for this, and… I'd like you two to be the ones to give me away." Raina's father had died when she was three. When her mother was killed twelve years later, Raina's older sister Marlee took over until she'd reached adulthood.  
  
Kurt and Reissy accepted without a moment's hesitation. "Charlotte, do you think Max could be an usher?" Jason asked and she nodded.  
  
"What about me?" Emily asked.  
  
"My nephew, Oliver. He's twenty years old."  
  
"Cool," she nodded. Raina laughed.  
  
"Marlee and Steve and Cara and Leo will be the other bridesmaids and ushers. Paige has agreed to be my matron of honor. Molly and Olivia will be flower girls, and Persia and my other nephew Jeremy will be ring bearers," Raina listed off.  
  
That night once dinner was over, the guests were gone, and Reissy had gone to bed, Jason and Raina stayed up to finalize a few of the things that needed preparing. With the wedding only three weeks away and Jason going on a business trip for two of those, things needed to be ready and soon.  
  
"Wait until you see the dresses. I think we've actually found some presentable bridesmaid dresses. And the little ones, so adorable,' she smiled. Looking at him, she saw he was smiling too. "What?"  
  
"Nothing. I just keep thinking about how lucky I was… to find you. After losing Phoebe… I didn't think anyone could make me happy again. But it looks like I was wrong, 'cause there you are…" She smiled and leaned in to kiss him.  
  
"I could say the same thing."  
  
Same time, Dream  
  
"Mom? You there? I need to talk to you!" Charlotte called out, looking around.  
  
"I'm here. Are you okay?" Phoebe stepped into view.  
  
"Hi," Charlotte smiled, going to hug her. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to talk to you about something. I-I don't know if you've been looking in lately, so this may…"  
  
"I know about the wedding," she saved her the trouble, sensing uneasiness.  
  
"And you're okay with it?"  
  
"I'll always love your Dad. And loving him includes wanting his happiness. Don't worry about me honey, I'm okay." Charlotte smiled.  
  
"Okay. And… thanks Mom."  
  
November 14th 2026 - Dean home  
  
"Molly, Olivia, you two be careful, okay? Wouldn't want to get your dresses dirty, uh?" Prue asked the two. The girls, almost-four and four years old respectively, shook their heads. The two of them and Persia and Reissy had gotten their hair done early that morning and, along with said dresses, were quite happy with their looks. Prue was already preparing for the task it would be to get them to take it down and off. Molly had the same issue with her precious fairy necklace.  
  
"What if we have to eat?" Olivia asked.  
  
"We'll figure it out," Prue winked. Not too far from them, Persia was busy looking out the window for the car, Marlee McKiernan's car. She was very curious to meet her fellow ringbearer, Jeremy Ellsworth. Emily herself was nervous about meeting Jeremy's brother.  
  
"Would you relax?" Charlotte grabbed her sister's arm mid-pacing, sitting next to Max in the living room.  
  
"I'm calm," Emily insisted.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Max smirked.  
  
"Hush, Riordan," Emily gave him a look. She sat next to her sister with a sigh.  
  
"Atta girl," Charlotte nodded.  
  
"Dad's here!" Persia ran past them to go open the door. "Daddy!" she squealed, jumping into his arms and kissing his cheek. She leaned across to C/Piper and kissed her too, slipping in a whispered "Hi Mommy!"  
  
"Hey Persia," C/Piper smiled. "You look great!"  
  
"You like my dress? Look at my hair!" she twisted her head around to let them see.  
  
"Very pretty," Leo nodded with a big smile. "Hey, where's your Aunt Paige?"  
  
"Upstairs with Raina," Persia informed him. "Want me to go get her?" Leo nodded. "Okay!" she orbed out of his arms.  
  
Over the past months, Paige's condition had greatly ameliorated. She was happy again, and though it would never be perfect again, she was managing a walk every so often. It had always been a suspicion she could still walk but had given up trying. Helena's return had proven that to be the case.  
  
Paige orbed down, back with her trusty cane. "Looking for me?" she asked Leo and Cara. Leo nodded and turned back to the door, through which came a girl with curly blond hair.  
  
"This is Rianne, I've told you about her. Well, I've finally done it. No more wings, I'm human again. So Rianne will take over as the girls' whitelighter." The whitelighter in question smiled.  
  
"Well, welcome to the team," Paige smiled back.  
  
A few minutes later, Persia made another run to the door. "They're here!" she announced. She opened the door, finding there a man, a woman, and two guys, looking to be twenty and eight as she'd been expecting. "Hello!"  
  
"Hi. Persia, right?" the woman asked. She nodded. "Well, I'm Marlee, this is Steve, Oliver, and Jeremy."  
  
"Come in!" Marlee went upstairs to see her little sister and Steve went to see Jason. Jeremy and Persia went to practice their walk down the aisle. It was decided Jeremy would carry Jason's ring, and Persia would carry Raina's. Oliver was shown to the living room. Max and Charlotte had cleared out, as not to confuse him with the twin issue. Emily would inform him of the detail later.  
  
Emily stood from the couch when she saw him walk in. Suddenly she was feeling nervous for completely different reasons: He was cute. No, actually, he was "handsome-and-then-some" as Charlotte would say. A quality like that in a guy tended to make Emily very much of the clumsy type. That tension was broken when Handsome Olly took a step toward her and nearly faceplanted tripping over his feet. She stepped up and caught him. "Hi," she giggled.  
  
"Hey," he smiled with a bit of embarrassment.  
  
An hour later, the groups arrived at the church. Everyone went off to where they were supposed to be. The minutes couldn't go by fast enough for everyone, the excitement was strong. Finally the music started. All stood and waited.  
  
First came flower girls Molly and Olivia, throwing the petals up in the air like it was the most amusing thing in the world. Next came ring bearers Jeremy and Persia, very focused. They were followed by bridesmaids and ushers, Marlee and Steve, Leo and C/Piper, Emily and Oliver, and Charlotte and Max.  
  
Finally, in came Raina, radiant in her wedding dress, her gloved hands each holding one of her children's, Kurt on the right and Reissy on the left. They arrived at the altar. Raina handed her bouquet over to Paige.  
  
"Who gives this woman to this man?"  
  
"We do," Kurt and Reissy spoke at once. Each of them kissed their mother on the cheek and she returned the gesture and the two went to sit. The ceremony went on, all smiles around. Soon it was over, the newlyweds walking out together to the cheers of their guests.  
  
Back at the Dean home, soon the party was on. Henry had landed himself with the task of dancing with the kids. He didn't mind it too much, except maybe when wanting to dance with Merilyn. After the first few dances, Jason and Raina had finally agreed to dance with other people. Jason was dancing with Emily, teasing her a bit about how 'googly eyed' she was about Oliver. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.  
  
"May I cut in?" they heard from behind.  
  
"Hey Lauren," Emily smiled. "Sure, but watch out though, he's a footcrusher," she winked.  
  
"Now that was our little secret," Jason laughed.  
  
"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." Emily left and Jason and Lauren moved back to the dance floor. "Congratulations, Jason."  
  
"Thanks," he smiled. "About the, uh, footcrushing… That's not…"  
  
"I know. You can relax. I had a footcrusher myself years ago, I managed. I can deal fine, you'll see."  
  
TBC 


	30. Ep 17 The Return

Okay guys, last ep-format chapter squee! Now as I'm writing this, it's... thursday! Which means I will have (have had by the time you read this ;)) three extra full days to get ahead, so maaaaybe there'll be a chapter ready next week and I won't have to not update for a few weeks...  
  
So here it is, chapter 30!!  
  
---  
  
February 16th 2027 - Norwood's San Francisco  
  
"Open it!" four-year-old Molly squealed, sitting on the counter. Prue, standing next to her, laughed as she started unwrapping the heavily wrapped box. Opening it, she found a string lined with seashells. "Auntie Heli put holes in them. We put them on the string," she nodded to Olivia sitting next to her, also four years old. She nodded along.  
  
"Happy birthday!" the girls sang out together. Prue was nearly crying as she put on the necklace and hugged and kissed the two girls.  
  
"Thank you, I love it! It's beautiful." The girls grinned. "Alright, who wants to help with the squishy stuff?" Molly squirmed and Olivia squealed. "Okay then, let's go!" Prue lifted Olivia off the counter and they headed to the back of the store. With her orbing and light powers, she could do well alone for a couple minutes. Molly made her way down to the floor with the stairs they'd set up next to the counter. The kids always wanted to go there, so it was easier this way.  
  
"Twinkle goes the light!" Molly whispered and giggled as she looked around to make sure no one was around. When inspection was done, she threw her arms in the air, arching her right index finger and releasing a string of light bubbles. "Round and round they go!" she made circles with her finger and the lights she'd made began hovering in a circle.  
  
Hearing the chimes ring she gasped and batted the lights away into nothingness and spun around to see who'd walked in. She raised her head to see his face. "Hey," said the man.  
  
"Hi," Molly smiled. The man crouched so she was able to relax her neck. She took a step back.  
  
"What's your name?" he asked. Molly started playing with a strand of her long brown hair, looking at her shoes.  
  
"Molly," she still spoke. She looked back to him. "You look familiar."  
  
"It's possible," he smiled. "That's a pretty necklace." She grasped the silver fairy.  
  
"My daddy left it for me," she explained. "Mommy says I'm her little fairy princess."  
  
"Looks good on you. Is your mom around? I need to talk to her." Molly nodded.  
  
"Mommy!" she called out. "Mommy!"  
  
"Just a minute!" Prue laughed out from the backroom. Molly looked back to the man as he stood again. She could tell he was nervous. She didn't understand why that was.  
  
"Hey Molly," the man asked. She looked up. "How do I look?" She tilted her head.  
  
"Tall," she nodded. "Down here," she pulled him back to a crouch. She touched his hair, which was short, though not too short. Next she inspected his face, clean-shaven. She traced a scar near his ear. "Looks good to me," she nodded again. The man laughed. "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Well, it's complicated."  
  
"Why's that?" she asked. She was definitely warming up to him.  
  
"Alright, what can I help you with my dear fairy…" Prue walked in, scraping at something sticky on her arm. Olivia trailed behind her, doing the same. When Prue saw the man crouching by Molly, she thought she might pass out.  
  
"Mama Prue, what's wrong?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Girls, why don't you go, uh… why don't you go check out the magazine in my bag," she spoke, eyes locked on the visitor.  
  
"Later!" Molly waved to him before running off to the back with Olivia. The store was quiet, the only noise being the girls' giggles nearby.  
  
"So that's her then…" he spoke first.  
  
"Yeah. That's her… Molly… our Molly."  
  
"You looks good…" Nate managed another few words.  
  
"You can breathe, Nate. I'm not going to start yelling. And… thank you. You look good, too."  
  
"The day I left…"  
  
"It hurt," she interrupted. "It did. You just… left. And I really needed you that day. I was scared and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't get away from this like you. I know why you left, I read that letter so many times it's torn and stained. But you should have given us a chance, we could have worked things out without you going off like that. But what's done is done so I'm not going to let that worry me… anymore. I don't want any apologies, I couldn't take that. I just need to know one thing from you now: Are you staying?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Not going to run off again?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. Now… Can I get a hug?" He smiled, and the familiar weak-kneed reaction of his nearness kicked in. Each of them took a few steps forward. The last step was hard to accomplish for a moment, arms hesitant at first. Finally, the once fearless demon-fighting duo was back in each other's arms.  
  
"Every day I almost came back, but… I couldn't come back the way I was."  
  
"I know. It's okay," she assured him, tears finally getting their way down her cheeks.  
  
"But that's over now. I'm back. Question is… what does it mean for us? I don't expect things to return to just the way things were, they shouldn't… I guess we need some time to know each other again." She nodded.  
  
"You're right. I mean, things didn't just change for you, they changed for me too. It's not just Molly depending on me now, there's Olivia and Persia too. I'll explain later," she put in when she saw the look on his face."  
  
"What about Molly? Do we tell her who I am?" Prue looked back to the room where she still heard the girls giggling. She'd dreamed of this moment for so long, she couldn't believe it was finally here. She turned back to Nate.  
  
"Wait here." She went into the back room. A minute later, she returned with the girls at her side. They stopped a few feet from him. Molly let go of Prue's hand and carefully made her way up to Nate. He crouched back in front of her. She looked back at him long and hard. Prue looked at her and was reminded so much of when Persia met Leo.  
  
Molly held up the fairy pendant and he smiled. "My mother gave this to me, to give to my daughter. And there you have it." Molly leaned in to kiss his cheek before putting her tiny arms around him as best she could and squeezing as best she could. Nate did the same without heavy squeezing, maybe a bit scared he'd break her. He saw Olivia still with Prue, looking very much alienated by all of it. Once Molly had let go, he stood and walked over to her, Molly grasping his hand. He crouched once again. "Hi there. Olivia, right?" She nodded.  
  
"She's my sister… kinda," Molly spoke up.  
  
"I see," Nate nodded. "Well I always hoped for a big family," he gave a reassuring smile. It was all she needed, and a moment later she was in his arms.  
  
"Come on guys… Let's get home."  
  
That night  
  
"Thanks again for taking over watching the shop today, Aunt Paige. I'm sure it was something I ate. I was wondering if the girls and I could have breakfast with you guys tomorrow morning? I'll be bringing a friend along if that's alright? A guy I know… Yeah, A Guy. See you tomorrow morning. Bye."  
  
There was a squeal and a giggle and Molly ran by, naked and dripping water all over the place. Nate ran after her, soaked and holding a towel out. Prue laughed and grabbed a blanket from the couch. She stood in the hall and waited until Molly ran back her way and grabbed her in mid-run, wrapping her in the blanket. The girl giggled on. Nate arrived a second later very much out of breath. He saw Prue's smirk and sighed.  
  
"And how was your bath?" She turned to Molly. "Are you giving him a hard time?" She shrugged. "Come on, time for bed your highness," Prue carried her daughter off to the room she shared with Olivia. Prue had been able to afford her great new home thanks to some string-pulling on the whitelighters' parts, and no doubt about it she'd be eternally grateful to them for it.  
  
Nate followed the two of them. Molly, as he would find out, was always the last to get to bed. The other two were long asleep by the time her head finally hit the pillow. Prue handed the blanketed witch to Nate and went to a dressser in the corner, pulling out three different PJs and laid them out on Molly's bed. She looked them over, then finally pointed to a green and white nightgown with frills at the edges and tiny green stars above the frills. Prue re-folded the other two choices and put them away.  
  
"Can you get her dressed? I'll be right back."  
  
"Uh…"  
  
"She'll tell you what to do," she reassured him and went to Persia's room. She found her sister wide awake. "You thought?" Prue winked.  
  
"I had the dream again," she whimpered. Prue sat next to her sister. Persia put her head down on her lap. "It's getting clearer every time but it's confusing too. It doesn't make sense…"  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"You, I think. Only… you're smaller, younger. And Simon, older… And a man… I don't know him but he gives me the creeps."  
  
"We'll figure it out," Prue rubbed her back. This had been going on for a few weeks now, only it had been a different dream. When the dream had come to pass, they'd almost thought she was getting the power of premonition, like Helena had. But on Persia's own insistence that it was more than that, Prue had started looking into it. She hadn't told Persia yet what she'd found… if only to give her the chance to grow up more first. It didn't matter how mature she was. She was still a kid. She was not to find out, not until she was maybe sixteen.  
  
TWO WEEKS AGO   
  
Prue looked around the cave, awed and confused at the same time. "Hello?" she called.  
  
"No need to shout now. I hear you." She turned and came face to face with a red-headed little girl. "I know this wasn't what you were expecting. Trust me, I get that a lot. Your cousin? Your grandmother? Same reactions. But yes, I am Aymara, I'm the oracle. Now what can I do for you?"  
  
"Something's going on with my sister. I-I was hoping you could help us." Aymara sat at a round table with two chairs. She indicated the other chair and Prue came to sit.  
  
"You Halliwells sure get yourselves in my type of situation a lot. You show up and just when I almost think you came to the wrong person…" She smiled and Prue returned the gesture with a bit of uneasiness.  
  
"She's been having these dreams for a while…" Aymara looked at her and nodded.  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"What?" Aymara sat up and put her hands on the table.   
  
"You've always known. Persia's not your average kid. Now she's starting to come into her… specialness. If she'd been born through a normal manner, it wouldn't have happened. Kids like her, however few they are, generally go through this around this time, too."  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"Well… she's becoming like me… an oracle." Now she understood why Aymara had made her sit.  
  
"W-what'll happen to her?"  
  
"You don't need to worry about it for a while. But you can ask your Uncle Eric. He had a charge not unlike your sister once."  
  
Prue returned to Molly and Olivia's room, where her royal fairy majesty was bouncing on her bed as Nate tried to get her down. "Let me guess…" she smiled. He looked at her pleadingly. "Alright," she nodded. She picked up Mr. Blacky and waved it around. Molly saw the bear and was sitting down before they knew it. Prue handed her the bear. "Okay, I'm ready," Prue told Molly. The girl squealed and squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds then turned to her mother and opened them again. Prue smiled. "Pancakes, bananas, extra-extra-chocolate. Pink pants, ballerina shirt, two braids, and… running shoes!" she tickled her belly. Molly laughed and squirmed. "Now sleeptime. Sweet dreams my little fairy princess," she kissed her twice on each cheek. At last she stood and Molly settled down with Mr. Blacky. Prue ushered Nate out, shut the door, and went to the living room. She saw the look of confusion on his face and patted the space next to her.  
  
"I sucked back there…" he sighed.  
  
"Natey, don't be ridiculous. Anyone would be feeling how you are right now if they were trying to get her to bed without knowing the routine. Persia, Olivia, they're no problem. But Molly needs her bed steps or it's no go. Look… I wasn't a pro from the get-go either. Give yourself some time. Can't just jump in like that and expect to get it all right the first time out."  
  
"I guess you're right. I just…"  
  
"You wanted to show her you'd be a good father to her. Sweetie, she gets it. She's been waiting for this too. Trust me, she gave you a chance tonight. And you did good." Nate couldn't help smiling then.  
  
"Thanks. I just don't know how I'll do with that last part… I don't have mind-reading powers." Prue got up and retrieved a locked box from the top of a high shelf. You couldn't even see it, had to know it was there. She returned to the couch and put the box down on her lap. She took his hand and made him punch in the code.  
  
"1-1-0-9-2-2. November 9th 2022. Molly's birthday." She opened the box and he looked in to find twenty-five little bottles all cushioned in. "Temporary mind-reading ability potion. Lasts five minutes. Plenty of time to guess the morning's breakfast and outfit line-up."  
  
"I can do that," he nodded. The box was put back in place and Prue returned once more.  
  
"Did you have a good birthday?" She smiled.  
  
"Oh it's definitely going to be hard to top that," she nodded. "But then again you always loved a challenge."  
  
"I did, didn't I…" he nodded slowly. She stood and went to get a pillow and some blankets. They stood in silence for some time, the situation they were still in coming back to mind. She handed him the blankets and pillow almost shakily, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on edge as their fingers met. In a split-second decision and kissed him, on the cheek, and sprinted off to the stairs after that.  
  
"Goodnight!"  
  
"Goodnight…" he repeated, looking after her before lying back on the couch with a sigh.  
  
Next morning - Halliwell manor  
  
Paige made her way to the door and opened it. Three massive hugs later the girls had run in, leaving behind Prue and her guest. She held out her hand. "Hello, I'm…"  
  
"Aunt Paige," Prue stopped her. "There's something I didn't tell you last night. This… this is Nate… Molly's father, Nate." There was a small pause before Paige put on a small smile and shook his hand.  
  
"Well… it's good to put a face to the name at last. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Come on in, breakfast is served." The three of them went into the dining room, where the girls were already sitting with Diana, Cecilia, and Glen. Prue could feel her stomach tying itself up in knots already. She remembered very well how her uncle had felt about Nate four years ago.  
  
"I don't believe we've been introduced," Glen spoke up as Prue and Nate sat next to Molly. Nate opened his mouth to speak when, playing with her scrambled eggs, Molly spoke instead.  
  
"Daddy, Uncle Glen. Uncle Glen, Daddy! He just got back last morning." All but the kids sort of froze in place at that moment. "Isn't it great?" Molly continued. "Now I have Mommy and Daddy. And Olivia does too. And… what about Persia?" she turned to her mother. Prue blinked.  
  
"Uh… it's complicated… it's sort of a-a… brother-something… W-well not a brother-brother, but… here, have some toast," she sighed, turning to Nate. He gave her a reassuring smile and pat on the arm.  
  
Prue looked to her Uncle and the look on his face was unmistakable. He wasn't exactly going to take Nate on a fishing trip anytime soon, but he could see as well as anyone that his being there made Molly happy, and that he did seem like a genuinely nice guy.  
  
A few days later - February 21st 2027 - Prue's home  
  
"Wow, look at you… you got through The Routine without a single bump. I'm impressed," Prue smiled as she sat with Nate in the living room.  
  
"Thank you, thank you," he 'bowed'. She laughed. "But you'll always be the real hero. You did this by yourself all this time…"  
  
"My theory was like… 'Make it worth all those discomforts, that weight…'" He laughed a bit.  
  
"That bad?"  
  
"Dude… You could have rolled me." Both laughed. "Hang on." She got up and went to get something from a bookshelf. "Hadn't actually had time to show you this before."  
  
"What is it?" She sat back next to him.  
  
"It's… Molly's baby book." He looked at the object in her hands, unsure what to do about it. "Look," she pulled out a loose picture. "I'm pretty sure… yeah, that's Cecilia's eighth birthday party, so that was just… nineteen days before. Huge, uh?" He looked almost hypnotized by the image he held.  
  
"I was an idiot."  
  
"Nate…"  
  
"No, I was. I know you said you didn't want an apology, but I just… It made sense to do it at the time, and I did change, but… I missed her first four years… Never going to get those back, it's gone…"  
  
"Nate, stop, listen," she grabbed his hands, making the picture drop to the ground. "You can't start beating yourself over that. If you hadn't come back, maybe. But you did come back. And it's not… gone. I've got crazy amounts of pictures, videos… And you're back, so that means… there can be more, and you can have first four years and then some. You know why I took all those pictures and all those videos? I kept hope. Everyday that passed, I told myself, was one less day I had to spend without you. You were it for me, and that never changed. You were the guy I'd dreamt of when I was a kid thinking of her wedding day, of being a little old couple in rocking chairs…" Both were crying by then, though they were laughing through those tears in the end. "I guess what I'm trying to say… I never stopped loving you, and I doubt I ever will. And I know it's usually the other way around that this happens but, Nate, marry me? I can't bear another day without you…"  
  
"I will," he squeezed her hands. "I can't either." They kissed, and hugged, and kissed again.  
  
Five months later - August 3rd 2027  
  
"Do I wear the same dress, like at Uncle Jason's wedding?" Molly asked her mother as the five of them made their way to Halliwell Manor that morning.  
  
"New dress," Prue explained. "Possibly even pretty," she continued without missing a beat. The past months had been all Prue had hoped for and more. She had her Nate back, Molly finally had her dear Dad… Everywhere around them there was happiness too. The big surprise had been Leo and C/Piper eloping on New Year's Eve, although Prue and the girls had been present. Everywhere around them, love seemed to be blooming. Helena and Will, Simon and Roxane, Henry and Merilyn, Emily and Oliver, Charlotte and Max, and of course Jason and Raina…  
  
"Simon, that's ridiculous…" Glen was on the phone when they arrived. Paige was nearby, working on Cecilia's ballet recital costume. She'd been dancing since she was little, since Paige had enrolled her in her first ballet class but they never thought she'd advanced so much until they got the call from the dance school about sending her there so she could develop her talents even further. At almost thirteen, she'd taken to Helena's slenderness sort of unbeknownst to them. The biggest clue could have been that she'd surpassed Diana in height, but it was hard to think of little Birdy as anything but the little girl she'd been, at least to her parents.  
  
"What's going on?" Nate asked of the conversation. Paige looked up from her sewing.  
  
"I'm not really sure… I swear they speak in code sometimes."  
  
"Alright, alright, come over and she'll check it out." After he hung up, he turned to the others. "Guess what he just said…" Glen started. Just then there was a screech from upstairs. Diana had slept over at Angelina's home, so it could only be one person… "Cecilia! What's going on? Are you okay?" Glen called out. They heard hurried footsteps followed by a door slammed.  
  
"Nate, can you stay with the girls?" Prue asked as she started up the stairs, followed by Glen and Paige. Upstairs they found the slammed door was the bathroom's. "Cece?" Prue knocked on the door. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Go away!" they heard. Her voice sounded odd.  
  
"Cecilia, come on…" Prue tried again.  
  
"No!" was her response.  
  
"Look, whatever it is, I'm sure we can help!"  
  
"I… I-I don't want… I can't go outside!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because then they… they'll know. We'll be exposed!" Prue looked back to her Aunt.  
  
"Why would that happen/"  
  
"Because…" the door unlocked, "How else do you explain my looking like this?" She opened the door and three jaws dropped. It was Cecilia, no doubt about it, only she looked… older. Not by much, maybe four years, but still it was a noticeable difference. "What's happening to me?" she cried.  
  
"I don't know, but… I don't think it's isolated. That's what Simon called about. He said he'd aged overnight," Glen explained.  
  
"Oh my… Do you think it's going to affect more of us?" Prue asked.  
  
"Not you. If anything, you look… younger," Cecilia spoke up and all eyes were on Prue. She went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She gasped. It wasn't as drastic as Cecilia, only maybe two years seemed gone. "This is just freaky."  
  
"This can't be happening! Not now! If this keeps up… I-I'm getting married in less than three weeks!" The doorbell rang, followed by Nate calling up the stairs to inform them Leo and Cara were there. "Oh… please no…" Prue ran past the others and down the stairs. "No, not you too!" C/Piper was fine, but Leo seemed to have taken a shot of youth like her. All didn't speak much for some time. Most of them were observing this newly-seventeen-year-old Cecilia, much to her discomfort. Then Henry and Simon arrived. The second indeed looked about twenty-five now. As for Henry, he hadn't seemed to notice he'd 'youngened'. "We've got to figure this out before it gets out of hand!" Prue sighed.  
  
"What could be causing this?" Simon asked.  
  
"A demon, I guess… But what for?"  
  
Ten days later - August 13th 2027  
  
Prue sat at her kitchen table, looking at the pictures they'd been taking over the passing days. No more had been affected, but those who had were looking very different. It had been identified that Prue, Henry, and Leo woke each morning one year younger, and Simon and Cecilia two years older. Respectively they now stood at about 12, 10, 18, 45, and 37 years old. This wasn't pleasing any of them. Mostly it worried them. Especially in the case of those who were getting younger, they wondered what would happen if they couldn't stop this in time.  
  
Prue sighed and pushed the pictures away. Two of them fell to the ground and she stood to pick them up with a sigh. When she saw them though she let out a big "AH!" Nate came running in.  
  
"Prue? What's up?" She shoved the pictures in the air. "What is it?"  
  
"Old Simon, Young Me! Go get the girls, I'll call Aunt Paige!" A few minutes later, the PJed bunch was gathered in the Manor's living room. "We have a lead, guys! A few months ago, Persia kept having this dream. Tell them sweetie," Prue turned to her sister, who was clutching a sheet of paper.  
  
"There was Simon all old and Prue all young. And there was a man. I hadn't told anyone, but I drew his picture." She unfolded the sheet and placed it on the coffee table.  
  
"Now we just need to find out who he is…" said Prue. Her Aunt stood then. "Aunt Paige?"  
  
"I know exactly who this is. But… it's impossible. H-He's supposed to be dead."  
  
"Who is he?" Cecilia asked.  
  
"H-his name is Cole. Cole Turner."  
  
Eight days later - August 21st 2027  
  
"We've gotta find him! We're running out of time!" Prue threw her arms in the air a she paced around. C/Piper picked her up.  
  
"I know. And we really have to. Not just because we're very close to losing you and Henry, but… if your father is lost it won't be just you and Persia who'll lose a father." Prue looked up to her mother. She smiled. Prue squealed and hugged her.  
  
"How long have you known?"  
  
"Three days…" Prue was about to protest the belated news when they were joined by the rest of the group. Things were greatly gaining in urgency, especially in Henry's case. He was now just two years old, which didn't leave him much time.  
  
"Well, if Cole's alive, he's sure hiding it well," Paige spoke up as she watched Simon and Cecilia, now 61 and 53, Leo, now about ten, and four-year-old Prue. "We have to be missing something."  
  
"Oh… oh…" C/Piper suddenly looked pensive.  
  
"I hate it when you do that, you know? It always comes with something we didn't want to hear," Prue sighed.  
  
"I can't believe I didn't think about it before… I-I ran into him once, some years ago. And I'd always kind of thought however crazy it was, it was still possible… We have to find Sarah Spring."  
  
Sarah's lair - Shortly after  
  
"Winn!" came her great shriek. The tiny demon woman came stumbling in to her knees.  
  
"Y-yes mistress?"  
  
"Is everything ready for the raising?"  
  
"Y-yes mistress."  
  
"Good. Get the sacrifices in place."  
  
"Hold that thought," came a voice. Sarah sighed and turned at the child's voice.  
  
"So you figured me out, uh? Well you're a… little… too late," she smirked.  
  
"Sarah…" C/Piper stepped up. Sarah's face fell.  
  
"Cara Mitchell. I'll be."  
  
"Why are you doing this?"  
  
"Why? I'll tell you why. Your Charmed Ones went and took the man I loved from me, the father from my children. I know he was just masquerading as a witch to try and turn me evil… behold his belated success… but I loved him. But then some years ago I found out he'd died. He was dead and the Charmed Ones had taken him. That's when things changed for me."  
  
"He's Tyler and Hannah's father…" C/Piper whispered in disbelief.  
  
"Yes. And soon I'll have him back, and… Winn! Get back to the sacrifices!" They saw her walk in.  
  
"I'm s-sorry… I couldn't do it. I-I let them go." Before Sarah could try to kill her, the one who'd let herself be bossed around for too long finally took a stand and slithered in to hold her down. "Quick! Do it now!"  
  
"You're in the way!" Paige told the truly kind demon. "If I shoot now you'll be hit too!"  
  
"You have to! Just find the idols and smash them! They'll be restored! Now go on!" she nodded. Paige nodded back and threw the potion, vanquishing both of them. All stood there in silence. The things they'd found out, matched to having finally vanquished Sarah, Winn's sacrifice…  
  
"Those must be the idols," Simon spoke first. They turned to a nearby altar where five small statues were placed side by side. Paige went to them and picked up the objects, raised them high in the air. She looked to the five standing together, and threw what she held to the ground as hard as she could. They shattered. When she looked back, they had already been restored. She smiled.  
  
Prue went to hug and congratulate her father before going to kiss Nate. "Come on. We have a wedding to get to." He held out his arm and she took it.  
  
"Yes dear," he smiled. "You were a cute kid, you know?"  
  
"Uh-uh, I know," she nodded and they laughed.  
  
TBC 


	31. Emotions

Heeeey guys! Check me out, I'm still alive! ;) I was starting to doubt I'd ever manage to bring you something new, but here I am! :D I'm so sorry it took so much time, but hey that's college for ya! ;)

I've got holidays coming up soon, so I should be able to write some more. I'm thinking maybe I should write some, but then wait a couple weeks between chapters, that way even if I can't keep up, you guys won't get penalized this time around ;) What do you think?

Okay so technically I had this chapter ready last Thursday, but then I wasn't able to upload or anything. Which was a good thing 'cause I remembered I'd forgotten a part before and had to write it in. So, here it is, really done this time! :)

Anyhoo, I hope you haven't forgotten about me and my people ;) And I hope you'll enjoy the new chappie! Laterz!

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December 12th 2027 - Hyland Home

"Wait, where are you going exactly?" Will asked Helena as she was scribbling at a pad.

"I'm going to where I was for those six months. But don't worry, it'll only be a day or two. A friend of mine from there called and asked me to come. I have to."

"Just promise you'll be careful." She stopped writing and looked at him with a smile. She leaned over and kissed him.

"Absolutely. Well, here goes," she walked to the desk and took her glass half. She rested it flat on the desk and dropped her paper on it. The glass lit up and a sort of vortex started pulling at her. Next thing she knew she was in the same room only she recognized the differences to know she was back in the other reality. "Here we go…" she breathed.

"What just happened?" She turned and gasped.

"Will? What are you doing here? You weren't… Okay, you have to go back. Come on, I'll take you back and…"

"Helena? Is that you?" She cringed and turned as Alterna-Will walked in.

"Woah!" Real-Will gasped. Alterna-Will looked to Real-Helena.

"I didn't know he'd be pulled in too! At least we know there's no merging this time…"

"Does he know about all this?" A-Will asked.

"He knows about the magic, but not about this place…" she snuck a quick look to the confused R-Will.

"I'll fill him in. You have to get going. They're at your parents'." R-Helena nodded and orbed out. Once at the Norwood home, she didn't even need to call to anyone so they could direct her, the shouts from upstairs were plenty. She ran up the stairs two at a time. She got to her old room to find Margot and Thomas. Thomas had been the one to call her, sounding pretty freaked. She couldn't blame him in the situation. She'd been kind of shocked to learn a few months back that her then-17-year-old sorta-sister was expecting.

"Hey, where is everybody?" R-Helena asked.

"Out there, having lives! Not answering calls!" Margot shouted. Obviously Thomas' attempts at keeping her comfortable hadn't gone too good.

"Alright, relax, everything'll be fine, I promise." She pulled Thomas aside. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since morning. We couldn't reach anyone, so…"

"It's okay, it's okay. Look, you're gonna have to help me here. Can you do that?" He nodded. "Okay, then let's get to work."

A few hours went by and things had progressed. They finally got some news from A-Paige. She and A-Eric would be home as fast as possible. Before they arrived though, the new witch had made her entrance shortly before midnight. Thomas went home, leaving Margot, R-Helena, and her part-niece. "She looks just like you…" R-Helena smiled. Margot in turn started crying.

"Thank goodness for that," she breathed.

"Why? Is her father a non-looker?" R-Helena joked.

"He's not a lot of things," she cradled her baby girl. "Served me right to trust him."

"What'd he do?" R-Helena asked. Margot had never spoken of him.

"It's a long story. Let's just say he made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with us. Well it's his loss."

"Well said," R-Helena spoke quietly, putting an arm around her part-sister. "So what are you naming her?"

"Amy Beth Norwood." When she heard Paige call from downstairs, she kissed the two of them goodbye and orbed out. She intended to have little contact with them. Speaking through the mirror was one thing, but seeing them made her miss them too much. Even seeing Jillian couldn't happen. She was only a year old, if she saw R-Helena she'd believe it was A-Helena. And if she ever called her Mama she could never leave her again…

When she got back 'home', A-Will and R-Will were watching television. "Time to go."

"How'd it go?" A-Will asked.

"Good. It's a girl… surprise, surprise," she smiled. After saying goodbye to A-Will, R-Helena and R-Will went into the room and shut the door. She made the return arrangements and soon they were home again. Once they got there, she knew he'd want to talk. "So… he told you what happened?" Will nodded. "Are you mad I didn't tell you."

"The more he told me… the more I was proud of you. What you had to give up, I can see why you'd need to keep it to yourself. I know we come from different backgrounds… really different… and I'll probably never understand it all… But I don't care. What I do care about is you, being with you. Whatever comes, I know I want to face it from at your side. Helena, there's something I have to ask you."

May 17th 2028

"Step on it!" Helena called to the limo driver. In the back, she and Roxane were doing the best they could to dress while in motion as they were.

"Not too fast! We need to get there in one piece," Roxane pointed out.

"As safely quick as possible!" Helena corrected her previous statement.

"We should just have stayed in last night, we should have stayed in. Ow!" she whimpered, knocking her elbow on the door.

"Are you kidding? This is like our right as future brides, to have ourselves some fun before The Big Day! Where are my shoes?"

"Well sure, but not the night right before the wedding! Now we might be late. If we are, you tell them why we're late, 'cause I won't."

"What, we overslept at the hotel after a little impromptu bachelorette party. I'm sure we're not the firsts here. Ah! Here they are! Wait, those are yours. Damn it!"

"Here," Roxane handed her the right shoes.

"Thanks! But hey, admit it, you had fun."

"Yeah, kind of," Roxane blushed and Helena laughed. "So when are you due?" she slipped in as she put on the sneaky shoes. Roxane looked up at her.

"What… you…" she managed. "Did you have a…"

"Don't need premonitions when you have eyes." She sat back, across from Roxane. "I saw you last night, at the party. You mineral-watered your way through the night. Any mentions of alcohol and you flipped out."

"Oh… right…" Roxane spoke slowly, still blushing.

"So, are you doing okay? I take it Simon doesn't know?" Roxane shook her head. "When do you plan on telling him?"

"I don't know… It's just… What if we're not ready? If we have this baby, there's no turning back."

"Rox, sweetie. Simon loves you. And this? It'll make him love you even more. Trust me. I mean, he may only be my brother by marriage, but next to you and maybe Glen, no one knows him better than me. And I know he'll be thrilled."

"Yeah," Roxane tried to control her tears so she wouldn't ruin her makeup.

"Yeah," Helena laughed, making her way to the seat next to Roxane to hug her. "This is gonna be great." The car stopped. "Ah! We're here! And on time!" she looked at her watch. "So…" Roxane seemed confused for a moment, then she remembered.

"Oh… uh… January, I think."

Soon the ceremony had passed and they were at the reception. The two newlywed couples took to the dance floor first of course. Helena was smiling from ear to ear as Will spun her around.

"You're gorgeous when you're happy," he whispered with a smile as they came to dance close once again.

"Then it'll be perpetual wowing for you Mister, 'cause you always make me happy!" He grinned, spinning her again.

"Good to know. So… what happens in regards to the whole name issue?"

"Mmm, well… Helena Hyland-Matthews or Matthews-Hyland, neither really work for me, though a hyphenate is always a hoot." She paused for a careful dip. "Though if you want to be technical, I could be Helena Halliwell-Matthews-Norwood-Hyland. But that'd be a hassle to sign. Basically it's this: If you want me to, I'll be Helena Hyland. Just say the word. I'll be happy either way."

I don't need you to do it, it's all kind of weird to me anyway. But at the same time…"

"Look, how about we make a deal. Here and now. I'll remain Helena Matthews until further notice on your part."

"Fair enough." He smiled and kissed her.

"Good," she whispered. Over Will's shoulder she could see Simon and Roxane. She was speaking. Then she stopped and he smiled, brought her up close. She placed her head on his shoulder with a relieved smile. Helena squealed to herself. "I'm gonna be an auntie!" she whispered to herself.

"What's that?" Will asked. She looked up with a grin."

"Nothing for now. You'll find out soon enough, no worries."

"May I cut in?" Glen walked up.

"Sure," Will smiled. "I'll go chat with "Mom"." Helena giggled as he went off and Glen took over.

"Well there you are… married."

"Yup."

"Now I feel old," he teased.

"Nah, don't say that, Dad." Even if she knew about P/Eric now, it didn't mean she'd stop referring to Glen as her father. He'd been the one to raise her with her mother after all. Still she felt a bit uneasy at doing it when P/Eric was around.

"You were just a bouncing little girl yesterday…"

"Well, now I'm a bouncing big girl. Doesn't change much."

"I guess so. But then I will feel old when there's someone calling me "Gramps"." Helena smiled privately, careful not to spill the beans about Roxane until she was absolutely ready.

"You can't be depressed today, I forbid it!" she giggled. "Have some fun!"

"Whatever you say," he came to spin her around. She complied happily.

"That was pretty good!"

"Well I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve."

"Mmm, does Mom know about this?" Helena winked.

"You're funny," he squinted his eyes.

"So they say!"

"So you're happy?"

"Most definitely."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me be a part of it."

"Well I'm glad you're here," she hugged him.

January 1st 2028 - Halliwell Manor

"This is great, we can have a double wedding!" Helena hugged Roxane. She laughed. "I'm serious!"

"Well, we'll see," Roxane smiled. As they discussed their weddings to come, Prue walked by and went to sit with C/Piper, who was now into her seventh month. Prue handed her the water she'd asked for.

"Thanks," she drank it up.

"How's it going?"

"Well, you know… technically I only ever got this far into a pregnancy once and, with the move back when I became a whitelighter, that was about eighty-five years ago!" Prue laughed.

"Stop, you're making me feel old!" Now it was C/Piper's turn to laugh.

"I can't believe you're almost twenty-five already! You're making ME feel old!"

"Well, despite the odd parts of it, I can't wait to meet her. After all, she will be my sister."

March 17th 2028 - Halliwell-Pereira home

"Hello?" Prue answered the phone.

"Sorry to wake you…"

"Dad? No, it's alright. Any news?"

"Should be soon…"

"Right. I'm on my way." She turned and woke Nate. "Hey, Cara's in labor, I have to go."

"Alright. Call when you can." Prue nodded, kissed him, and got up to get ready. She went into Persia's room and found her already dressed and waiting. It always caught her off guard when she displayed any kind of 'oracleness'. Persia herself didn't seem too alarmed by it, like deep down she knew. Prue supposed it made it easier to accept, to know she wasn't scared by it.

"Come on, let's go," she held out her hand to the nine-year-old. She took it and together they orbed to outside the hospital. It was weird this new sister they were about to meet was completely human, as Leo and C/Piper now were. When she would ask either of them what they intended to tell her about magic, both said they didn't know yet, hadn't made up their minds.

They made their way to 'Cara Mitchell's room'. When they got there, a nurse was leaving. Leo and C/Piper sat together, looking down on the sleeping newborn. Persia went up to the bed and strained to get a peek.

"Hi Wendy…" she whispered. She'd been walking around for weeks, telling all who would listen, that her sister Wendy Jane Mitchell was coming.

"She looks just like you, Dad," Prue smiled, standing behind Persia, who looked up at her then.

"Give it to her!" she whispered. Prue laughed and pulled a small purple bear out of a bag. She held it out to C/Piper and she smiled through an abundance of joyful tears.

"Thank you!" she told her girls, putting the bear near little Wendy.

"So… was it everything you remembered it to be?" Prue smirked while Leo had gone out for breakfast with Persia. C/Piper gave her a look through she still laughed.

"You're funny." Prue nodded.

"Really though, I'm happy for you guys. And hey I have a new sister. I love getting those."

"Yeah well, I'm not going to rush to make you another one right away," C/Piper laughed.

"Hey, no rush. You're still young," Prue winked.

September 6th 2028

Helena looked at Michael. She couldn't begin to explain the energy she was feeling that day. It was her first day on the street as Officer Matthews. And more than that she had none other than Officer Michael Morris as her partner. There had been a moment when they'd looked at each other as they'd gotten in their car and they both knew what the other was thinking… If only their fathers had been there to see this.

They stopped at a diner for lunch. They'd dealt with a domestic disturbance call and a shoplifter at a supermarket by the time they sat down for lunch. "So how's it going for you?" Michael asked.

"I just… I can't believe I'm finally here, doing this…"

"Well it's good to have you. You're doing great."

"Thanks," she bit into one of her fries. "How's Vincent?" she asked after his son.

"He's good, he's good," Michael nodded. "He's three, he does as three-year-olds do." Helena laughed.

"You and Marisa ever think of having another one or two?" He shrugged.

"Sure, but… I don't know. Sometimes it feels like we shouldn't, in case anything ever happened."

"You can't go with that thought forever, or else what's the point of going on?"

"I guess you're right." A minute later they got a call. Michael took it as Helena put money down on the table.

"What's up?" she asked as they left the diner. They got in the car and he started driving, not too fast she noticed.

"There was a call from Baker High, one of the tenth graders locked herself in the bathroom, they asked for you specifically." She turned to him. "Right," he nodded and sped up.

They arrived at the school, the one they'd both attended at different times. The principal escorted them to the bathroom where many students were gathered by the door. Helena looked to Michael. "Alright everybody, get back to class," he spoke to the kids. There were some vocal protests but eventually they left. Helena went up to the door and knocked twice.

"Diana? It's me. Please, let us in?" No one spoke. "Diana, come on. Whatever it is, we can work it out. Please let us in? It's just me and Michael. No one else will come in." She turned to Michael and nodded. Together they pushed against the door. As she'd guessed, Diana had pushed some furniture up against it. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" the two approached. Diana was sitting under the sinks, hugging her knees close.

"Get away!" she whimpered. "It's not safe!"

"What's not safe?" Michael asked. Diana shook her head, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"C-can't say…" she cried. Helena looked at her sister. Something was happening to her, she could feel it. The way she was acting, the sheer panic, reminded her of something. A similar event… Prue… her emerging power of mind-reading. She'd been so scared because she couldn't control it. She looked back at Michael. She really wished he knew at that moment. But he didn't, and that meant things would be… complicated.

"Come on, Diana. Let's get you out of here…" Michael started walking toward her.

"Michael!" Helena called to him. Diana reacted.

"No! Careful!" she screeched, her eyes blinking open in response.

When she did, neither police officer had time to register what was happening. The energy, whatever it was, hit them, propelled them backward and collided them with the wall. They were already unconscious as they started to fall back to the ground. Only they never got there, vanishing midway. Diana whimpered again, balling herself up even further.

October 25th 2003 - Halliwell Manor, San Francisco

"Where's Prue? Where could she be?" Piper looked around, hands over her eyes. The giggles she heard made her smile. She opened her hands out and 'gasped'. "There you are!" she picked up the eight-month-old, tickling at her ears. Little Prue squirmed a bit but it was mostly buried in continuing giggles. The door opening and closing brought in Phoebe and Paige. Prue saw them and the excitement increased. Phoebe was first to reach over to pick her up.

Before the handing over could happen, there was a wind kicking up out of nowhere. Prue began to cry and Piper held her close as the sisters watched. There was a flash and as they watched in awe, two figures came falling to the ground. No one moved for a moment, the sisters realizing the arrivals were unconscious.

"They look like… cops?" Paige squinted.

"I'll take a look," Phoebe stepped forward.

"Phoebe, please be careful," Piper told her. Phoebe shushed her, peering down at the two unconscious on the ground.

"We've got nametags," she reported. She looked closer, read the man's tag, "Mor… Morris." She looked to her sisters.

"Might be random…" Paige pointed out. Phoebe looked to the woman's tag and upon reading the name she turned to the sisters in silence. "What?"

"I don't think it's random," Phoebe spoke up.

"Why, what does it say?" Piper asked. Phoebe looked to Paige.

"Matthews." There was a quiet gasp. "She… uh… she kind of looks like you, too." Piper and Paige began to approach the still forms to see what Phoebe was seeing. Just then the girl began to stir. The sisters stopped moving.

"Ow…" Helena put a hand to her head. She opened her eyes and looked up to find her mother… and her aunts and a baby. The three sisters looked much younger and in a moment she understood where she was… when she was. "H-hi…" The way they looked at her, she could tell… "You know who I am, don't you?" At that moment, Michael began to move as well. "Oh… oh… freeze him, quick! He doesn't know about us…" Piper acted quickly. "Thanks," Helena breathed.

"Okay. What's going on here?" Piper spoke. Helena stood up, slightly off balance at first.

"I, uh… well, I'm from the future, your future. Beyond that, I'm not sure how much is safe to say."

"Who are you? Who's he?" Phoebe asked, nodding her head to the frozen man.

"Right, him… he can't know what's going on. Have anything to keep him sleeping for a while, magical or otherwise?"

"Sure, but first…"

"I-I know. Well, here goes… this is Michael." She watched as the three of them put the information together. When they did, she spoke again before they could. "Look I want to be honest with you, but I don't want to endanger my reality in the process. If you'll allow it, I have a spell that will ensure you forget I was ever here right now as soon as I leave, with a second part spell when that comes." The sisters shared a look before Paige took a step forward.

"Alright. But before you do that, you have to answer four questions." Helena nodded.

"Are you related to us?"

"Yes…"

"To me…"

"Yes…"

"Are you… my daughter?"

"Yeah…" Helena smiled softly after a moment. There was a collective stunned silence. Helena nodded and recited the spell. "Anything from this point on will be forgotten once I cast the counterspell." She looked to Michael. "Now what to do about him… Have a sleeping potion anywhere near?"

"I'll go get some," Piper said, heading to the kitchen after putting Prue down in her playpen.

"So… you're a cop?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah," Helena nodded, "Like my Dad." She wondered if she should really get into details with them in case something went wrong. But at the same time lying didn't seem right. So she settled on being careful about the information she gave.

"Your Dad… is a cop?" Paige asked.

"Y-yeah…" she blinked. 'He was' wasn't something she could deal with revealing. So she evaded verbs. "Same precinct met him through Darryl." Piper returned with the potion. "Okay, do it, I'll catch him." Once Michael was down on the couch, there was a pause.

"So… silly we haven't asked yet but… what's your name?" Paige asked.

"Helena," she smiled.

"Matthews…" Paige recalled. Helena nodded. "Why not your father's name?"

"That's too much of a story, spell or no spell." The sisters nodded.

"What powers do you have?" asked Phoebe.

"Well, I can orb, of course. And actually I have premonitions, like you." Phoebe smiled. "Then here's supposed to be something about persuasion, but I'm not going there…"

"Wait… you've got a…" Phoebe noticed the ring on her future niece's finger and indicated it.

"Husband, yeah, not too long ago," Helena beamed, automatic whenever she thought about Will. "Wanna see him?" she reached for her wallet and fished out a picture of the two of them on their honeymoon. She held it out to them.

"He's cute," Paige nodded. Helena laughed.

"You've always reminded me."

"How did you meet?" Piper asked.

"Algebra," Helena nodded.

"High School Sweethearts?" Piper asked.

"Mmm, college sweethearts. He had a girlfriend in high school," she put the picture away.

"Now… how did you get here? Were you sent?" Phoebe asked.

"Sort of, but it was an accident, she didn't mean to…"

"Who didn't?" Paige asked.

"Diana… my little sister." Paige blinked.

"Two daughters…" she breathed. Helena retrieved another picture.

"Three… we have a younger sister, Cecilia." She watched as Paige observed the picture of the three girls, tears welling in her eyes. "Oh, and that's Simon," she indicated, "He's our stepbrother, but we consider him one of us."

"Gl… Glen?" Paige suddenly gasped, squinting at the picture. Helena closed her eyes. She'd forgotten he could be seen there.

"I thought you said your father was a cop," Phoebe pointed out. Helena sighed.

"Yes… MY father… not theirs."

"Glen…" Helena nodded to her mother. "What about your father? Where he'd go?"

"I-I don't…"

"Please, even if I'll forget, I need to know…" Helena waited a moment.

"I never really knew him…"

"He left?" Phoebe asked. Helena lowered her head, unable to say the words to her mother and her aunts. "I see."

"L-look, it's not important now. What's important is getting Michael and me back to our time, back to Diana."

"Why, what happened?" Piper asked.

"She got a new power, something to do with time I would imagine." The more Helena spoke, the more she seemed to want to say. It wasn't so bad, after all they would forget everything. She knew it was risky, but her speaking up at that moment had certain advantages. She could tell them things she could never tell their counterparts, and they'd never know. "So how long is he going to be asleep?" she nodded to Michael.

"Uh, I don't know. It depends from batch to batch. He should be down for a couple of hours," Piper explained.

"Good," Helena nodded, then sighed.

"What's wrong?" Paige asked.

"It's nothing," Helena assured them. It's just… I kind of wish I'd told him before… about all this."

"Why didn't you?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know… It's just that it never seemed right. I've known him all my life, he's one of my best friends and I trust him. But there's always a chance he won't take the news well." She looked back to him. "I couldn't bear losing him."

"Don't worry about it, we know what you mean."

"Thanks Aunt Phoebe," Helena nodded. It was in that moment she made a decision: she wouldn't hold back. It wasn't worth it, not now. This was her family after all. She looked to the baby version of Prue with a smile. "You know, she's going to end up looking a lot like you," she told Piper.

"Yeah?" Piper blushed. Helena nodded.

"You'll be proud of the person she becomes. We couldn't have gotten through certain things without her." This made all three sisters smile.

"What about her powers?" Paige asked.

"Uh… orbing, again. And uh… well I guess you could say she can fly. Also, gotta be careful about what you 'think' around her, 'cause in a couple of years she'll be able to read your minds." She saw their surprise and it made her giggle.

A few hours went by. Helena found herself opening up more and more. Eventually she got to talking about those six months in the other world. Thinking back later, she wished she hadn't. It would have saved them a lot of trouble.

TBC 


	32. Witch Rising

Hey guys, I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long ;) I'm hoping to be able to update more often in the next little bit, but I don't know if that'll happen. I just want you to know I'm not abandoning this story. I've been working on it for nearly two years now and I'm not about to let it go, I'll take it to the end, trust me. And then after that I already know there'll be a sequel. Actually this was supposed to be a simple prequel to that other story... I guess it's more than that now ;) Anyhoo, these days I'm pretty busy with revisions and transcriptions before school starts up again, but I'm working as fast as I can in hopes to have a couple days left to write before I start school on the 24th...

Alright, I've babbled long enough :D On with the story! :)

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"In all my life, I've never had to make any choice harder than having to leave her behind. She… was a part of me… it didn't matter for how short… it didn't matter how small… she was my baby girl…" Helena spoke quietly. She looked up at her mother and her aunts tearfully. They were getting as emotional as she was. "You have no idea how good it feels to be able to tell you this."

"Honey… you can tell the other us, believe me. It'll be alright," Phoebe assured her. Helena smiled. Just then, Michael began to stir.

"Oh no… we've been talking for so long, we completely forgot about him… what do we do? Do you have more potion?" Helena asked.

"Uh, no, that was the last of it…" Piper revealed.

"Okay… okay, I'll handle it. You guys go into the kitchen, he can't see you…" The sisters hurried along and away. Before he could awaken, Helena placed a hand over Michael's eyes and recited a quick illusion spell, making it so he would see the house as he knew it in 2028. "Michael?" she spoke calmly as she removed her hand. He slowly opened his eyes. "Hey," she smiled. He tried to sit but then winced and crumpled back against the couch. "Easy there. You bumped your head real good there."

"How…" he looked around. "How did we get back here? What happened? Where's Diana?"

"Relax, relax. Everything's fine, Diana's fine. She's resting up. We put you down here on the way. Paramedics said you'd be fine after some bedrest. I can get you a couple aspirins…" she started to stand, but he took her arm.

"Wait. What happened back there?"

"Uh…" She knew the truth was impossible, so she went for the next best thing - a big fat lie. "You slipped, floor was wet." He nodded slowly. "We weren't strong enough to get you up to a bed. Think you can walk?"

"Mm… yeah…" he grunted as Helena helped him up. Slowly they made their way up the stairs and to her parents' room. Just as Michael had lied down, they heard the doorbell.

"I'll be right back. You stay right here and rest, okay? I'll get you that aspirin." She closed the door on her way out of the room. She got back downstairs just as Paige opened the door. A blessing and a curse at once, there stood Darryl Morris. Helena's eyes grew wide for a moment before she forced a relaxed face on.

"Hey, I have a bit of a situation down at the precinct, and…" Darryl started before he saw her. "Hello."

"Hi," Helena smiled. He'd been like an uncle to her and the others, and seeing him there, young, alive…

"SFPD…" he was able to read off her uniform and she smacked herself internally for not thinking to change clothes.

"I-It's a project for school… fashion design… design and produce a new uniform for a certain group. "The story spilled out of her mouth so fast she couldn't believe it. He remained silent for a moment before finally smiling.

"Looks good." She smiled back. "And you're…"

"Uh… Helena… Matthews. I'm, uh, Paige's cousin," she nodded. Darryl introduced himself before turning to the sisters hesitantly.

"It's okay, you can talk in front of her," Paige assured him. He nodded.

"Girl was found wandering around a house a few streets from here. She… keeps insisting she's from the future. I figured…" Helena thought back to the moment in the bathroom with Diana and she realized she must not have been the first to be affected. She approached the group.

"What's her name? The girl…" He checked his notepad.

"Kirsten Wolford. Why?" Helena quieted the sigh that almost came then. She shrugged in response to Darryl. "Call me if any info comes up?" he asked the sisters before leaving.

"Will do," Piper nodded. Once he was gone, they turned to Helena.

"Who's Kirsten Wolford?" Phoebe asked.

"She's a classmate of Diana's. From what she's told me, Kirsten isn't exactly in her circle of friends. I think Diana might have sent her here first. Explains how freaked out she was by the time we came around. Question is… is that all? Are there more out there we don't know about?"

"We can find out," Paige nodded.

"We need to get Kirsten out of that precinct. If she talks too much…" Helena pointed out. An hour later, things were progressing. From what they could tell, no one else had come. They'd called Darryl, and he said he'd bring the girl over. Helena decided to keep outside the room in case Kirsten recognized her and "outted" her to Darryl. She stood at the top of the staircase and listened in.

"Hey, you must be Kirsten. I'm Phoebe," she held out her hand with a smile. The girl just stood there, arms crossed over chest. "Well I can see we'll be getting along just fine."

Up the staircase, Helena couldn't help grinning. She'd heard enough about this girl that her reaction didn't surprise Helena.

"Hey, what's going on?" a whisper came from behind her and she grasped the ramps with all her might not to fall. Michael was up.

"Geez!" she whispered back as she stood and turned to him. "Don't sneak up on me, I'm armed damn it!"

"I saw an old police car outside. What's going on?" She'd forgotten about the outside. "And it's going to sound crazy, but… I think it's my dad's old car number…" She sighed then, deciding the lies had gone on long enough.

"You want the truth? Alright. Right now? Well, we're in the past, by 25 years. It IS your dad's car, and he's downstairs now with my mom and my aunts. And the reason we're here now is, well… because we're witches. I know it all probably sounds crazy right now but…" She reversed the illusion spell and he gasped. "It's not. It's real. Now once he's gone, we'll go downstairs and you'll see for yourself." He looked at her pleadingly.

"I have to see him."

"He won't understand, and you can't tell him about the future. Just hold on. I'll figure something out. You just need to be a bit more patient. Please?" Finally he nodded. "Alright. Come on." She took him back to the room. They sat on the bed.

"So…"

"I've wanted to tell you for… years. But it was always so complicated…"

"Did… did he know?" Helena nodded. "So why can't we just go down now?"

"Well… how would you react if a grown man came to you claiming to be Vincent." He paused.

"Point taken."

"There's a girl downstairs. She was thrown back here before we were. We'll have to take her along."

"How DID we get here?"

"Diana," she explained briefly. They heard a motor outside and, looking through the window, saw that Darryl was leaving. "Alright. Come with me." They came down the stairs hearing the complaints of Kirsten Wolford already loud and clear.

"I don't know what kind of game you guys are playing here, but when my father hears about this, he'll sue you and it'll cost you…" She stopped mid-rant as Piper froze her.

"Oh thank you!" Phoebe heaved. Helena cleared her throat then and they turned to her.

"I told him," she nodded back to Michael.

"Wow…" he observed the three of them. "This is so…"

"Alright, so now that all parties are here, we should find a way to get us home…" Helena stepped in before he said too much.

"Yeah, we think we found a way to do that, but it's going to take some plain clothes that would fit him?"

Soon after - San Francisco street

"Thank you so much for doing this Len, you have no idea what this means to me."

"Actually, I kinda do. Now remember…"

"Don't talk about the future or your true ID…"

"Good. Have fun."

Michael walked up to the front door of his family home in awe. It was just as he remembered it. He looked back to the bushes where he knew Helena was hiding for a moment before ringing the bell. When the door opened, he found himself face to face with himself, his younger self.

"Hi there," he smiled to the child. "Is your father here?" Little Michael nodded and ran off. A moment later, there he came - his father. It took all he had in him not to remain frozen.

"Can I help you?" Darryl asked the man.

"The, uh, sisters sent me to get the info on the girl. They didn't want to have to make you come back a third time…"

"Right, they called about that." In fact, it had been Helena who'd called. She was often told she sounded exactly like her mother at times. She had to test the theory, and apparently it had worked. Darryl got the file and came to hand it over. "Here you go," he gave it to Michael.

"Thanks. Goodbye," he smiled before walking off. He returned to the car and Helena followed.

"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling the car into the street. He looked like he was about to cry. He turned to her.

"Thank you…"

Back at the manor

"Alright, I think that's good. Now we just need the rest of our time travelling group," Piper nodded.

"That'd be us," Helena spoke as she and Michael walked in. Goodbyes were said and, as Michael picked up the sleeping Kirsten for whom they'd quickly brewed a sleeping potion, the sisters got to work. Soon a portal shimmered into existence in the living room.

But then just as Helena was about to cast the spell to seal the memory wipe, a demon appeared. A second later there came another, then two more.

"Go!" Paige yelled as the sisters started fighting the demons.

"The spell!" Helena called back.

"No time! We can't risk them going through! It will only take three people!" Without another word, Helena, Michael and Kirsten went through the portal.

September 6th 2028 - The manor

The portal deposited the three of them in the same place it took them. But what they found there wasn't what they expected. The house was in shambles and all around them they found nothing but demons.

"Intruders!" they called as the three were grabbed. "Rennie! Rennie!" they began to call. In came another demon, flanked by two bodyguard types.

"Look, there's been some kind of mistake," Helena spoke up. "This isn't where we're supposed to be…" The demon Rennie walked up to her.

"You're right about that."

"Hey, I've seen you before…" she squinted. Then she remembered. "You… you were one of the demons who showed up before we came through the portal!" He looked at her before turning to his guards.

"Bring her to my office. Put the other two downstairs." He walked off up the stairs as the guards did as told, much to Helena and Michael's protests. Once in the office, which she recognized as Diana and Cecilia's room in her reality at least, she stood before Rennie at his "desk".

"What did you do?" Helena asked fiercely.

"Well see," he smiled, no doubt very proud of himself, "You counted on a lot of things in your plan to get back to your time, but you didn't account for me. I could sense you and your little friends. I do that. So when I found out who you were with, well… when opportunity knocks on the door…"

"What did you do?" Helena repeated.

"I waited for my moment, and I struck. See, if you attack right before your target moves, they can't stop you from changing the timeline." Helena shut her eyes. "So that's what I did. And once you were gone, we were able to change things in our favor - by killing the Charmed Ones." She cried then. "Let me guess. One of them was your mom, right?" He laughed, snapped his fingers. The guards took Helena and took her down to a cell in the basement, where Michael and Kirsten sat as well.

"You okay? What happened?" Michael asked.

"He killed them… He changed history. I-I don't exist…" She fell asleep in his arms. When she woke up again, now he was sleeping. The sound of rusty wheels coming along drew her attention aside. A woman was pushing a cart along. Everything about her screamed of desolation. No doubt she was the demon's slave, and for quite some time. The woman stopped at the cell and Helena saw she was bringing them lunch.

"G-go to the back. You don't want them to put you back in there, trust me." Helena froze. She knew that voice. "Miss, please. Just go in the…"

"Prue… Prue, it's me, it's…" She sighed. "Right… You don't have me in your world, so you don't know me…" Prue looked at her.

"You're not making a whole lot of sense… Who's 'Prue'?" Helena stood, stepping up to the bars. Prue backed up.

"You. You're Prue. At least you're supposed to be." Prue put the plates down.

"Is… is it my name? Really? They… never really told me."

"Yeah. You're Prue. I'm Helena. Look… how much do you know about yourself, your family?" Prue blinked.

"Nothing… All I know is I've been a servant here for as long as I can remember."

"But Prue, this is your hourse, our family's house…"

"OUR family?" Prue repeated. "We're…"

"Cousins. Our mothers were sisters."

"But… how?"

"Something happened that changed the timeline. Rennie and the others, they came and they killed our moms and a third sister when they weren't supposed to die, meaning all other kids after you never came along. I don't belong to this world, I don't even exist in it."

"Wait… so that means… my mother was a Charmed One?" Helena nodded. "I-I'm a witch?" She nodded again. "I don't remember having powers."

"They may have bound them. There has to be a way to undo it."

"What about you? What powers do you have?"

"I'm not sure… I don't know if they'll work here, seeing as I don't exist. Let's see…" She closed her eyes and focused to orb outside the cell. Soon she felt the familiar pull and, opening her eyes, she saw it had worked. "Good, we've got that. The premonitions won't help. Then I'm supposed to get persuasion at some point, but apparently not now, so… just orbing."

"What do we do now?"

"Open the cage." Prue nodded and did so. "Okay, come on." They walked in and, huddling all four together, Helena orbed herself and the others out of there, all the way to the Norwoods' shop in Chicago. When they got there, they soon came upon Sherry Norwood. At 72, she was still in great form and not showing any signs of slowing down. Upon seeing them there, she paused, observed them for a moment. Finally she nodded.

"Follow me." The two did as told, leaving the sleepers behind. "Now, what's this all about?" Helena and Prue shared a look.

"Well, we're not even sure ourselves. What I'll tell you might sound strange, but I assure you every word of it is true." Sherry nodded. "I… came from another reality. I don't even exist in this one. In my reality… you're my grandmother."

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"You have my son's eyes. And he has my mother's."

"Our mothers," Helena started, indicating Prue, "they were sisters, two of the Charmed Ones. But this demon came and changed things around. Now our mothers are gone, along with my sisters, cousins, and myself. She didn't know who or what she is until I told her. Basically, I'm asking for your help to set things right again. For that I also need to find a way to unbind her powers."

"Alright… Let's see what we can do about that. This might take a little bit. Are you hungry?" Prue perked up there. Sherry smiled. "There's some cookies over there, take all you need."

As Sherry worked and Prue ate, Helena went to check on the others. Kirsten continued to sleep under the effect of the potion. After a moment, Michael began to stir. When he opened his eyes, he looked around.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe. We're not home yet though." She helped him up and they rejoined Prue and Sherry. "This is Michael. He's human but strong," she smiled to him. He smiled back. "And you know my grandmother in our reality." He nodded, greeting Sherry. "How are we doing?"

"I've got something here I think will help. The beauty of it is that it'll make it all as it should be."

"Meaning?" Helena asked.

"Meaning she'll have ability and control over any power she is meant to have by now." Helena smiled.

"Gran, you're the best."

"There is one thing though. It will take a few minutes to take effect. We have to wait until this crystal has turned completely blue," she help up the presently clear crystal before placing it above a fire. "Prue, come here," she instructed. She did as told, finishing up a cookie. "I have to put a few drops of your blood into the fire." Prue nodded and held out her hand. Sherry took out a dagger and pricked the end of the girl's finger. She barely flinched. The blood pooled into a leaf, which Sherry threw into the fire. It roared for a moment, little specks floating up to the crystal. Right away it started turning blue. "Now all we have to do is wait."

Not even a second later, before they could do anything to stop it, a demon appeared, grabbed Prue, and disappeared with her. "What just happened?" Michael asked as Helena sighed.

"Rennie found her. Damn it!" she ran a hand through her hair. "I have to get her."

"Helena, wait," Sherry spoke up.

"I can't. I have to rescue her, I'm the one who got her in this mess."

"It's not a mess. It's who she is. And soon she will get back what rightfully belongs to her. Have a little faith."

"I didn't mean it like that. Besides, she could be dead before the crystal finishes changing." At the moment only about one fifth of it had turned blue.

"Listen. You must know by now that I wouldn't lead you wrong, would I?"

"No," she sighed. "But whatever happens to her is because of me."

"What's to say the "whatever" won't be something really amazing?"

Back at the manor

"I have to say I'm shocked. I never thought you'd be the one to betray me. After everything I've done for you all these years," Rennie circled the frightened Prue.

"I haven't done anything!" she lied fervently. "I-It was her, she forced me to go with her!" He laughed. Grabbing her arm, he rose her from her knees and looked into her eyes.

"You know, you've never been a very good liar. You had me fooled for barely a second or not even half of one. What did she tell you?"

"N-nothing… nothing sir."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. He gave a toothy grin before tightening his grip on her arm and dragging her off out of his office, down to the first floor then the basement. Once there he threw her to the floor. He'd been the one to find the tiny babe, crying herself to hysteria in the middle of the carnage surrounding them. Despite it all, his "evilness", he hadn't dared kill her. In a way he figured this was even better. Over the next years he'd made sure she grew with no knowledge of the legacy she could have been part of. And once she'd reached a certain age, he'd gone and put her to work.

Prue tried to wedge as much distance between herself and Rennie as possible as she'd done all her life, but always he kept coming. Their 'game' continued on for some time. Finally she remembered what Helena had told her about what Rennie had done to their family, and she knew she had to do something. As they continued their slow spin around the room, she reached a desired position and scrambled away, toward a room nearby. She closed the door and hurried to put anything she could get her hands on in the way of the door. Already she could hear him banging on the fragile wooden door. She whimpered to herself as she continued to work.

Only after a minute more she saw there was nothing left to put there. And there was no window. She stood in the open space, trembling, waiting.

At the shop in Chicago

"Are you sure about this?" Helena asked Sherry as she paced in front of the fire.

"Absolutely," Sherry nodded. "She'll have full ability and control over her powers." Helena looked to the crystal, the shining blue having nearly taken over the whole thing. Only a space remained, and the color ate away at it quickly now, reaching completion. On this point, it became brighter. Helena observed it, nodding to herself. "Go now," she whispered, "Fight back Angel…"

At the manor, same time

Everything in the room was shaking, including Prue, as Rennie continued to push against the restraints she'd put between them. In a moment, he'd be able to get through, and that's what he did. He sneered, breathing heavily. This wasn't looking good to Prue.

But then, in a perfectly timed moment, there came a sudden surge in her. She felt it coming and it made her smile, gave her strength to stand tall. She felt the power rise up from within. And looking at Rennie, she saw something she'd never seen in him. She saw not only fear and realization but also an opponent she could fight. However she knew the moment wasn't now. So with her brand new confidence she waved victoriously and orbed out of the manor and back toward the shop in Chicago.

When she rematerialized there, within a second Helena had her trapped in a giant hug. Prue welcomed it, the first she'd received in truth.

"I have powers, Helena! It's amazing! I've never felt so… alive!" Helena laughed.

"Good for you sweetie. You had me scared for a moment, but I should have known you'd be okay."

"Well it was a close call. I have a feeling Rennie won't be too pleased," she shuddered for a moment, almost in reflex.

"I hate to break up the reunion, girls, but I need to speak to Helena," Sherry walked up. Helena patted her cousin's shoulder before following her grandmother.

"What's up?"

"I've got your way home ready. I didn't want to tell Prue because… once you're gone, we'll cease to exist." Helena nodded. "So here it is…"

October 25th 2003 - Outside the manor

"Alright, remember," Rennie spoke to his men. "We move in quick, take care of the three witches sticking back and that's it." He turned back to the house. "We don't want to ruin our new 'base of operations'."

"See…" came a voice from near him. He turned and found his men gone, instead there stood a girl. Behind her, a man held a sleeping girl. "If you attack right before your target moves, they can't stop you from changing the timeline." Before he could do anything, she'd acted and he disappeared.

"Wow," Michael grinned.

"We gotta hurry!" Helena told him and he moved with her immediately. They ran into the manor, the living room, placing themselves within their frozen doubles. Once that was done, time started again.

"Well this is it," Paige smiled.

"Yeah… it is…" Helena breathed. She cast the second-half spell and as they stood with their eyes closed, Helena and the others moved into the portal.

September 6th 2028 - Baker High

"Help me… help me…" Diana whispered to herself, rocking back and forth, hugging her knees, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

There came a breeze, then she felt a presence… people had come in. She was about to warn them off when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent - a soapy scent with a hint of spices. She knew who that was.

"Di, it's okay, just keep your eyes shut. We'll get you out of here," Helena told her sister.

"W-where did you go? I thought… I…" she cried. Helena helped her stand.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you when we get home, okay?" She looked back to Michael and their sleeping 'companion'. "We got Kirsten back as well."

"What's happening to me?" Diana asked as they walked out of the bathroom. It was still empty. From what she could tell, only an instant had passed since their travel. It was still the same time. That meant they still had to work, despite how tired they were. They got down to the car and after they'd all packed in, they drove off toward the manor.

"Something… really amazing, I promise," Helena had told her, recalling the alternate Sherry's words. It wasn't just reassurance on Helena's part. She finally truly believed it.

When they got to the manor, her mother got to working some memory magic of her own on Kirsten so she wouldn't remember what had happened when they'd take her home. Paige also reassured Diana that what had happened was natural, that she'd be okay. They got to understand just what this new power was. Just as she could stop a person in time, she could also move him or her through it. It had limitations of course, but nothing Diana couldn't handle.

Early December 2028 - Will & Helena's

Helena lied in bed, unable to sleep. Unbeknownst to herself she was fidgeting, looking up at the ceiling. She looked to the side, where Will still slept. With a sigh, she quietly got up, grabbing her bathrobe and putting on her slippers.

Helena walked into the living room and after pacing for a while, she got an idea. She focused and orbed to Prue's. When she got there, Prue was already waiting.

"How…" Prue stood.

"Little bird told me…" Persia had woken up and told her she should get dressed.

"I-I was wondering if you could come somewhere with me… I don't want to go by myself."

"Sure, no problem." A minute later, still in PJs, Helena walked carefully into the store. "Are you sure?"

"I just… I can feel it… sort of."

"No worries, I get it." Once they'd gotten what was needed, Helena went for the bathroom in the store. She needed to know if she'd have to consider a temporary work reassignment. A few minutes later, they were back at her place. Prue got her to her room and waited until she got in bed, gave her a signal to call her the next day. Helena nodded and Prue orbed off. The lights appeared to wake Will up. Helena winced.

"Sorry sweetie, get back to sleep," she hushed, kissing the tips of her fingers and placing them on his cheek. He reached up and wrapped her snuggly into his arms.

"Shh… what's up? Can't sleep?"

"W-well… it can wait 'til morning." He looked at her. "I'm gonna need a desk job. And then maternity leave…" His eyes opened up with nothing but pure joy. Suddenly she felt stronger. He always had that effect on her it seemed. It also helped that he knew what this meant for her, what getting a new chance at her own Miniwitch helped relieve.

TBC 


	33. Mercy Me

Hey guys! Yes, I'm still alive! I know I haven't updated since like January, but well... school and all. So I had march break last week and I was able to get some major writing done. I got this here new chappie done AND another one after AND I'm making great strides on the one after that. I won't post them all at once though. I figure, in case I'm still super busy in the next few weeks, at least I'll be able to post new chapters every now and then...

Right, so here goes...

January 17th 2029 - Dean Home

"I hope I'm not waking anybody…" Charlotte whispered as Raina let her in.

"No worries, it's just me and Reissy tonight and she can sleep through anything," Raina assured her stepdaughter. "Question is… what brings you here in the middle of the night?" The girl seemed to close up at that. "Is everything alright?"

"Max and I had a fight. Em wasn't around, and she's busy anyway. I wasn't sure where to go." Raina hugged her.

"I'm glad you came. Come on," she led the young witch into the kitchen. Charlotte sat as Raina put water to heat, retrieving cups and tea bags. "Want to talk about it?" Charlotte remained quiet. "Take your time, it's okay."

"It's just… He thinks I've been cheating on him because of all the times I have to go off demon fighting. I can't tell him the real reason, so I… lie. But… but I'd never do anything like that to him. I love him… I haven't told him about our secret because of that. I'm so scared he won't take it well and then what happens… I don't want to lose him," Charlotte cried. Raina put the cups on the table and took her stepdaughter's hand.

"What happened before you left? What did you both do?" Charlotte sighed.

"I stuck around at school for a while to work on something. I left there at like… eleven. On the way to my car I saw something. There was a demon attacking this girl. I went and I saved her. I took her home, but she didn't want to be alone so I stayed with her until she was asleep. I got home at about one. He was in there, sleeping on the couch. He woke up and before I knew what was going on, we were arguing."

"Honey…"

"I tried to explain… something… anything. He wouldn't have it. Then I just… I told him if he wasn't going to listen then I wouldn't bother trying. And I left."

"Alright. How about we set you up here for the night. We'll figure something out in the morning."

"Okay," Charlotte nodded. "Thank you…" Raina smiled and nodded back.

Once she'd gone to sleep, she called Henry over. She got into her car and drove to Charlotte's place. She let herself in, finding Max sitting on the couch, head in his hands. Raina cleared her throat. He looked up eyes all red and puffy. "M-Mrs. Dean… What…"

"I had a visitor tonight."

"Charlotte?" he asked hopefully.

"She's sleeping at home," Raina nodded.

"Is she…"

"She's really upset, Max." He stood.

"I don't want her to be, it's just… She won't tell me anything…"

"Listen… Deep down you must know she's not cheating on you, right?" He sighed. "The thing with Charlotte… she's a master of disguise." Max looked at Raina. "She won't show certain things because she figures it's the only way. She's scared. And nothing scares her more than loss. She won't say it, but we know it's there."

"Loss… lose me?" Raina nodded.

"She knows how easy it is for someone to be taken from her, just out of the blue. It scares her so much that disclosing some aspects of herself is like a panic attack waiting to happen. And right now she has something… someone… she absolutely doesn't want to lose so she's more scared and confused than ever."

"But I don't want to leave her, I… I love her." Raina smiled.

"Let me ask you something. If Charlotte were to come to you with a secret, something so important you couldn't tell anyone, you would keep it, wouldn't you?"

"Of course…"

"Even if this thing seemed impossible?" He gave a confused look. "Answer." He nodded. "Would you panic upon proof of claim?"

"Why would I…" She gave him a look. "I'd take anything if it meant being with her…" Raina nodded.

"I think you need to drive me home."

Back at Dean Home - Shortly after

Max walked into the room, careful not to wake dear Charlotte too abruptly. He watched her, sleeping so soundly, and he felt horrible for the way he must have made her feel. He sat at her side, silent for a moment. Slowly, he picked up her hand. Still sleeping, she squeezed it. "Charlotte?" he called. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking for a moment before focusing.

"Max…" she sat up. "How did you…" she started, but realized quickly, "Raina."

"I'm sorry about the way things got…" She shook her head.

"You shouldn't be sorry. It's me. I just couldn't… What did she tell you?"

"Enough for me to know we have a lot to talk about. She didn't tell me WHAT we'll be talking about but… I'm listening."

"Okay," Charlotte nodded. "But… not here." The two left, thanking Raina deeply on the way. They got in Max' car and drove off toward home. The ride was quiet, both undoubtedly not too sure where to start. As they stopped in front of their building, Charlotte turned to Max. "I'm ready to talk now."

"Okay," Max nodded.

"Right, so here goes. I…"

Not a word more got out before she felt something hit her with such a strength that it knocked her out before she could form another thought.

Next morning

"Charlotte? Oh please wake up, please?" came the distant sounding voice.

"W… w…" was the best she could manage in response.

"It's okay. Don't try to speak. I'll get you to Aunt Paige's and they'll-they'll fix you. Just hold on sis!"

She really didn't really remember the next hour. When she opened her eyes, she was in her Aunt's bed, and Persia was sitting by her, looking down on her.

"Hi," the 9-year-old smiled. "How do you feel? You were bleeding a lot. Rianne fixed your head, made the cut close. Then you slept for a while. I stayed to keep watch."

"Thanks," Charlotte smiled for the girl's benefit even though her head still throbbed and she didn't really feel like smiling. "What's going on?"

"Emily found you in your car, you were unconscious. It's a good thing no one else saw you… or well, you know what I mean…"

"Is Max okay?" Persia looked puzzled.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Charlotte tried to sit, then failed.

"They didn't attack him?"

"He wasn't there…"

"Yes he was… Oh no…" Charlotte sighed, closing her eyes. "Get Aunt Paige. Quick."

Baker High

"Mark, stop it, give it back!" Sierra heaved.

"Why?" Mark Stern asked with a smirk. Diana sighed, looking at her friends arguing over a book. Mark wasn't a bad guy, he just liked to tease Sierra because he knew it would get her worked up. It'd bother Diana more if it wasn't for the fact that Sierra would do the same to him. Also, she was tired of getting in the middle of their couple spats. "Alright, fine," he handed it back."

"Thank you," she sighed. A moment later they were smiling at each other and kissing. Diana rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Sorry for the dash off, but I gotta get to the gym or Coach'll never let me hear the end of it," Mark stood.

"Bye," the girls laughed. Coach Keller wasn't one to mess with, still it made them laugh. They wrapped up with lunch and went off to walk, having a half hour before English class.

"You two are really making me wish I had a boyfriend sometimes… or a puppy…" Diana nodded to herself.

"If I hear the word 'leash', I'll glamour your hair into frizzy braids for a week!" Sierra 'threatened.' She'd gotten the new power a year before, and she was getting pretty good at it.

"I didn't say anything!" Diana giggled innocently.

"Mm mm, sure."

"Well, you're not looking like you're about to spill the 'magic' beans, so… You thinking short term?"

"I don't know. I…"

Before she could continue, the girls felt someone run between them. The weird part came as, though she hadn't so much as brushed up to either of them, both felt an odd pull and the next moment landed on the ground with a thud.

"Ow! What the…" Sierra cried. Diana looked back. The running girl was still doing just that. Strangely, though she could only see her from behind at the moment, she felt the girl was very much upset. Her mother always said it must have come from somewhere in the portion of whitelighter in her.

"Isn't that the new girl? Shannon?" she asked as she remembered the name.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Sierra stood, helping Diana along.

"Come on, I know she can be a little weird at times, but you shouldn't…"

"Tell me she doesn't freak you out then?" Sierra tested her. Diana sighed, picking up her books. "Thought so."

"I don't know, there's just something off about her."

"Uh-oh. You have scheme face…" Diana gave her friend a puzzled look.

"I don't have… scheme face…"

"You do too. What are you thinking?"

"I just think it deserves a closer look. I sorta feel bad for her. No one speaks to her, we barely know anything about her… She must be so lonely…"

"Well she hides it well under that growl." Diana frowned. "Okay, okay, I'm in. Guide on."

At this time - Elsewhere in school

"So what'd they say?" Cecilia anxiously asked of new friend Kaley Tolkin, fourteen like her. The girl, grinning all the way up to her blue eyes, looked to Cecilia and Reissy and nodded. The two cheered happily.

"That means we have less than a month to get ready," Reissy counted as she and Cecilia stood and came to stand by Kaley in the middle of their favorite 'classroom,' the dance class. They loved that their teacher trusted them enough to let them use it on their own whenever they wanted.

"Too bad it's not a magical competition, I could have given them one of these…" Kaley rose into the air, performing a move in flight. Reissy's eyes grew wide as she tried to grab the girl's foot to bring her back to the ground.

"Kaley come on someone could walk by and see you!" she screeched/whispered.

"Reissy, relax will ya?" Kaley laughed but obliged. "Don't be so paranoid."

"Doubt that'll happen anytime soon," Cecilia winked to her step-cousin. Reissy creased her eyes and Cecilia knew she wasn't angry. "Alright, so I was thinking we could start like this…"

When the students started coming in for the class, the girls had worked out the beginning of their routine, and though they weren't the bragging type they thought they were doing pretty good so far. The rest of their "group" wasn't participating in the competition, but only because it was girls only. Samuel Brennan and Julian Preston, Sam and Jules to the girls, had been friends with Cecilia and Reissy for about three years now. They boys were human, didn't know the girls' secrets. But things were so odd between them anyway as they grew, became older, that adding another issue into the mix wasn't sounding like the kind of thing they wanted.

"So I guess they said yes?" Jules asked. The girls nodded. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, you get to miss two whole days of class," Sam joked.

"Don't remind her," Cecilia winked Reissy's way.

"So who's house today?" Kaley asked.

"Uh, I think it's my turn," Reissy spoke up.

"Right then," Jules nodded as the teacher called everyone to attention. It was a half-day, so they'd be done after dance class. Afterward, they would go to one of their homes for homework and other things. An hour and a half later they were out of the school and walking home.

When they got there, Raina hurried to the group and pulled her daughter aside to tell her about Charlotte's 'accident.' Reissy understood she needed to send the humans off, so as was routine, all of them went, and Cecilia and Kaley orbed back in after.

"What's going on?" Cecilia asked her aunt.

"Max was kidnapped by demons. Charlotte was injured, but Rianne healed her. We're going to need everyone to pitch in here. We have to find Max," Raina told the girls.

"My first demon hunt! Wait 'til I tell Dad! Wait, on second thought maybe I shouldn't," Kaley blushed.

"Human?" Raina asked and Kaley nodded.

"He didn't know what we'd be… neither did we… until Mom…" She became quiet there and Reissy put a hand on her shoulder. Kaley thanked her with a small smile.

"Cecilia," Raina asked her after a moment. The girl turned to her. "Get your sisters. Prue's on the way, the others are already at the manor. Get everyone there."

"You got it," she orbed off.

"I'd get my sister to help, but well… she's not exactly adjusting to the witch thing like I am…" Kaley explained.

"Don't worry about it. You two go on to the manor. I have to wait for Jason to get here. He doesn't know what's going on."

Kendrix Home

"Keely and Tristan are gonna come back to live with us until after the baby's born. Mom really wants to make sure they're okay. It's like… her first birth too," Sierra told Diana as they were carrying their snacks into her room.

"It'd be fun if Helena did the same with us, but I doubt it. She seems really set on going through this on her own… well, on her own with Will…"

"Guess so," Sierra shrugged. A moment later, a cloud of orbs came, depositing Cecilia.

"You have to go to the house now. We have a situation. Sierra too." With that, she was gone.

"O…kay?" Sierra stood. "What was that about?"

"I guess we're about to find out," Diana took her friend's hand and orbed them off.

At Will & Helena's

"Don't worry, okay? You did the right thing. Now the baby will be safe," Will assured Helena as she paced from one side of the living room to the other.

"I know, but what good will it do her if we can't feed her?"

"I've asked for extra hours, we'll get by. And there's always our families."

"No… can't ask them that," Helena shook her head, still pacing.

"Why don't you want their help, I don't understand…" He watched her as she kept on, silent. "Wait… Is this… It's because of Jillian, isn't it?" Helena stopped and turned to him.

"What? No. Don't be…" Will stood and came to stand before her.

"You're afraid you'll slip in front of them. And then they'll know about what almost happened."

"Stop…" Helena wavered.

"You're gonna have to tell them eventually."

"They won't…" she shook her head.

"They're your family…"

"Yeah, that's just it. They're my family, and I… I nearly let them disappear…" she cried quietly. Will took his wife in his arms.

A moment later, Cecilia orbed in. "Hey…" she started, then noticed her sister was crying. "Len? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Just give her a minute," Will explained. "What's going on?" he asked his young sister-in-law.

"Well… I-it's okay, we can deal…" she started to orb back off, but Helena stopped her with…

"Wait…" She took a breath, let go of Will and wiped at her tears as she turned to Cecilia. "What do you need?"

"Help, demon stuff. Max and Charlie were attacked. Charlie was hurt Max got taken…"

"Right, let's go. I may not be chasing criminals for a while, but I can still do demons for now."

Three days later - January 20th 2029

"We found Strike," Henry announced as he and Prue entered the manor. The rest of the group turned to them expectantly.

"Don't get your hopes up too much. We have… a bit of a problem."

"What kind?" Charlotte asked.

"He's barricaded himself inside this sort of tank. We can't get in - no orbing, flying…" Henry explained. Kaley sat up.

"What's it made of?"

"Not sure, iron or steel or some kind of metal. Why?" Prue asked, confused. Kaley smiled.

"Is it shielded? Or is it just the grounds?"

"Uh… grounds I think. What are you thinking?"

"My sister can get us in. Her power's magnetism."

"Good, get her," Charlotte nodded. Kaley blushed.

"Tiny issue… She's going to need convincing. After… after mom died and we got our powers, she sort of freaked out on us. She used to be all happy and stuff. Now, she walks around like everything pisses her off. I think she's just blaming Mom for not telling us what we were because she misses her too much." She paused. "I miss her too… so much. But I get it. She did it for us. I just wish it didn't mean losing my sister too." Paige stood, going to sit by the girl, moving stray hairs away to see into her face.

"Maybe seeing what good she can do will help get her back to you." Diana stood, followed by Sierra, Cecilia, and Reissy.

"We'll go over with you. Hopefully we'll be able to convince her," Diana told Kaley with a smile.

The girls set off toward the Tolkin home. Walking through the front door they could already see what they'd see all over: boxes. Some were closed, others were opened and had items hanging around like they were taken out and put back in several times.

"How long have you lived here?" Sierra asked as everyone looked around.

"Uh… almost six months. Why?"

"No reason."

They went up to the second floor and Kaley stopped them at the top of the stairs. "At this point I would suggest you remove any necklaces, earrings… it's generally safer that way," she pointed to one of her ears. She wore no earrings, likely due to the long scar which nearly got to the bottom of her earlobe. The girls shuddered and hurried to do as told. Kaley nodded and knocked on the door. It was loose on its hinges, and they could only guess why. "It's just me. I need to talk to you." The door shook. "Please?" The door stopped shaking. A few seconds later, the door was open, if only a crack. Still they could see a tall girl standing there. She was hunched over a bit, but one thing stood prominently - a waist-long braid of blond hair over dark clothes. Sierra grabbed Diana's arm with a gasp.

"It's Shannon!" she whispered. The girl looked up at the distant sound of her name. Her eyes were the same deep bright blue as her sister's. Seeing them together now they couldn't believe they hadn't made the connection.

"H-hey, small world, uh?" Diana smiled. Shannon looked to her sister.

"What are they doing here?" she asked in a voice with about as much emotion as a toaster.

"They need some… help." The 'magnetic' girl chuckled and closed her door. "What'd I tell you. She's HOPELESS," she spoke the last part loudly to the door.

"Go away!" Shannon yelled back, her door giving a good rattle, which startled all but Kaley, who was used to it by now. Diana took a breath and stepped forward.

"I'll talk to her. Just give us a few minutes." Inside the room, Shannon sat on her bed, reading, as Diana orbed in. This time it was Shannon's turn to be startled. "It's okay, it's okay, just calm down."

"You're… like… that, too?" she asked, trying to put up a brave face.

"Yes, I'm a witch. Like you." Now her strong face stabilized.

"No. I'm not like you. Now why don't you… poof off the way you came."

"I can't do that. We need your help."

"So I've heard. Still don't care."

"Why do you have to be like…"

"What? A weirdo? A freak? Go ahead. You think I don't hear what you all say about me? The names?" she sat up, sounding wounded through her calm anger.

"I haven't…" Diana defended herself. Shannon relaxed just barely.

"Maybe not. What about that girl you're always with?"

"Sierra? She's really nice if you get to know her. I know she's not trying to be mean…"

"Well it hurts just the same."

"I'm sorry." Shannon looked at her, sighed. She nodded to a picture frame behind Diana. On it, a smiling Shannon and Kaley stood with a man and a woman, their parents without a doubt. The girls had gotten their eyes from their mother.

"How long have you known… what you are?" Diana looked from the picture back to Shannon.

"Since I was nine… about six years. Our mother had bound our powers, but then they came back."

"So she died?" Shannon asked.

"She was revived." Shannon stood, walked to the picture with a nod to herself.

"Lucky you." She touched the frame lightly. "We didn't have that."

"What… what happened to her?"

"Car accident. I was with her. I-I watched her die… and then it started."

"Your powers." Shannon turned back sharply.

"If you can call it that. Feels more like a curse." She sounded disappointed for a moment. "I… I can't… control it."

"We can help you with that…"

"I don't want HELP! I want it GONE!"

"You have to give it time, to adjust… you could end up liking it. Really."

"Why should I?"

"Someone's life is at stake." Shannon's face softened.

"What do you need me for?"

"Shakedown…" Shannon almost seemed to perk up at that. Diana smiled.

Strike's tank

Prue, Nate, Emily, Charlotte, Diana, Cecilia, and the Tolkin sisters approached the structure. It was just as they'd described it. Shannon looked at it in awe. "W-what do I have to do again?"

"Just… do whatever you need to do to get us in. The rest will come to you," Prue told her.

"I-I don't know… I can't control it yet." Prue came to stand next to her as they faced the building. The others had backed up.

"I know how you feel. When I got my mindreading power I couldn't stop all the voices. But I got help. Let me ask you something. When you've used your powers so far, what made you do it?"

"I… I was upset, angry," she admitted.

"Yeah, that usually does it. So now that you have your trigger, you can start trying to focus yourself. Now I know it's not fun, but I want you to look for those things that upset you and just aim them at that building." Shannon nodded. Prue tapped her shoulder and joined the group in the back.

Shannon closed her eyes. She held her hands out, palms to the building. She took a breath and let the thoughts come. There was the accident, her powers, the revelation, the move, the mocking, the loneliness… It all moved in her head so fast, her heart beating at a mile a minute. She could feel the power coursing through her now, all the way down to her fingertips.

Her eyes snapped open and she watched in awe as the tank split open like a tin of anchovies. She brought her hands down, breathing heavily. Her head felt light, relieved of some pressure somehow. She hadn't felt this alive in months. She looked back to the group, who appeared even more shocked. Shannon gave a shy smile.

"Come on now. Let's go see what he knows," Shannon told them, secretly anxious to use her powers for once.

One hour later, Halliwell Manor

"So? How'd it go?" Paige asked as the group returned.

"We got a location. And Shannon kicked some tank butt," Charlotte announced with a smile, making the young witch blush.

"That's great," Paige beamed.

"Em and I are gonna go. From what Strike said, we should be able to handle this on our own." Paige stood.

"If there's anything, you call us." The twins nodded.

Demon's lair

After Prue dropped them off, the twins looked up at the location. "Well… at least it's not a mountain…" Charlotte spoke up. The two laughed. "Okay, so how do we get in?"

"Mmm… front door?"

"Bold. I like," Charlotte nodded.

"Wooden doors. When will they ever learn?" Emily asked, fire igniting and shooting to the doors. They crumpled under the flames and Charlotte froze out the fire so they could get through. "Okay. Lead the way," Emily told her sister, knowing that was what she needed.

"Can you fire hall us?" Emily nodded, raising walls of fire on either side of them. With the others in their family this wasn't a good strategy, but with the powers the twenty-year-old twins held it was perfect.

They ran down the hall rapidly. If guards ever got into their path, Charlotte froze them.

"There's the door!" Charlotte told her sister as they sidestepped newly frozen guards. Emily torched the door and Charlotte cooled it down. They got in, spotting on the wall… "Max!"

"Go!" Emily told her sister, on the look out for guards. Charlotte ran to a confused Max.

"Hi… oh you're okay, thank goodness," she froze/smashed the chains and hugged him. "Right, so uh… I'm a witch. I'll explain later." She kissed him and turned to Emily. "Any sign of our big bad?"

"I guess that'd be me." The sisters turned and saw the speaker. It was a demon alright, though not very menacing. The creature looked almost… pleading? "I thought you'd never come."

The sisters looked to each other, exchanging a telepathic thought.

"Please. You don't need to attack. I'm not looking to hurt anyone… right now. I need your help."

TBA 


	34. Surfaces

Mkay, so here's the new chappie:) The 'chapter' after this one is not a chapter, it's a... character tree:) Please do NOT send reviews from that chapter, I don't know what'll happen to them when I update it... Thanks.

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"Yeah, uh, see we're good. We don't help demons who kidnap the people we love," Charlotte took a stand.

"We vanquish them," Emily continued.

"I did not hurt him," the demon nodded to Max. "I apologize. My henchmen are not used to grabbing and not killing. But he has not been hurt while here. You can ask him."

"He's telling the truth," Max spoke, slowly standing. Charlotte looked to Emily.

'What do you think?' she asked telepathically.

'I don't know. I guess we can try listening. Remember Winn... And if anything gets shifty, we can toast him.' Charlotte looked to Max, then Emily.

"Fine," she spoke aloud, turning to face the demon, arms crossed over her chest. "Speak."

"I knew of the twin power. And someone told me about you. I told myself that, being the daughters of a Charmed One, you would have the power in you to hear me out, even to help me."

"To do what?" Emily asked.

"To find my sister, my twin. She's long given up our ways, but she's still my sister. Only recently she's disappeared. I need your help to find her, to save her. As much as I despise her killing some of our old friends 'for the sake of good, and believe me if she wasn't about the only family I had..." The demon stopped with a curt smile. "Please. If you won't do it for me, do it for someone who's on your side."

"I... what is it you want us to do exactly?" Charlotte asked.

"I wanted you to... lend your powers, so I may connect with her, find her. Believe me, I've tried everything else. It's my last hope." The sisters shared a look, and a silent exchange.

"What's your name?" Emily asked.

"You may call me Barin."

"Well, Barin, we will help you. But understand a few things first: This is on our terms, and if you double-cross us..." Charlotte spoke.

"You'll kill me. Yes, I'd expect nothing else."

"Now, your sister, tell us about her."

"She's been living topside for about twenty years. She has a daughter... She's gotta be about fifteen now, father was human. My sister was called Linae, but she goes by Marie McKent. She has an amulet that allows her to look human."

"So what makes you think something's wrong?" Emily asked the demon.

"Linae... Marie... She has a thing for helping demons who want to crossover."

"Crossover?" Max asked.

"To our side," Charlotte completed. Barin nodded.

"A few of them haven't succeeded recently, that was the first clue. Then she missed our monthly meet. I believe someone's taken her. I can't approach my niece. She's never seen me, she wouldn't understand."

"Okay. Here's the deal, take it or leave it: We're going to go out there and try to get some info, see if we can't find her on our own. If it fails... we'll set up the temporary exchange," Charlotte spoke evenly.

"Sounds reasonable," Barin nodded.

"We'll be in touch."

Back at the manor

"You're home!" Persia smiled, hugging her cousins as they came in accompanied by Max.

"Yeah. Where's everybody? This isn't over," Emily informed the ten-year-old. Some were in the living room. The others were called in from upstairs and the kitchen.

"Welcome," Paige smiled to Max. "I take it you know what's going on?"

"It's getting there."

"Look," Emily stepped up. "The demon told us why he attacked. He wants help finding his sister. She's supposedly switched sides."

"We're not in the habit of doing this kind of rescue, but there may be innocents at stake, including this woman's daughter," Charlotte explained.

"Okay," Paige nodded. "What do you suggest?"

"First we have to find the daughter," Emily went for the phonebook. She paged through it. "There are four "M McKent" entries. How are we supposed to find Marie?"

Helena's head snapped toward her cousins. No, this couldn't be, it had to be a strange coincidence, nothing more. It couldn't be... "E-E-Emily? Does... does this demon have a... a, uh... tail?" The others looked at her.

"Yeah... how'd you..." Emily started, but was stopped.

"And the daughter... What do you know?"

"Not much, just that she's about fifteen." Helena came to look at the phone book. She looked at the four entries, but only one mattered...

"I-I'll go. I'll find her," Helena started for the door.

"Can I come?" Persia asked, and Helena nodded.

"Wait, what's going on?" Will asked. Helena stopped, looked back.

"Call it a hunch. No worries, I'll bring her."

McKent home, shortly after

Helena walked up to the house in disbelief. It was just as she remembered it. She looked to Persia. Prue had told her what she was becoming, and she wondered if she'd be able to see what Helena had worked so hard to hide for the past three years. She rang the bell and waited, nervous.

"Who's there?" came a girl's voice.

"My... my name is Helena Matthews. I need to talk to you about your mother," she explained, having recognized the voice. There was a pause.

"She... she's not here."

"Yes, I know that. It's sort of why we're here."

"We? There's other people there?"

"Just me. I'm Persia Halliwell," she spoke.

"Look, we were sent to help. You don't have to worry. We know about your family."

"What are you?"

"Witches. Good witches," Helena assured her. "You want proof?" She looked around for witnesses, finding none. "Go look out your back door. We'll wait." She waited. Finally, steps were heard running off. She counted the distance, then took Persia's hand and orbed them to the backyard. She could tell she was there watching, so she waved.

Finally, the door slowly opened. Out came a medium-height girl, shiny black hair cascading over her shoulders and down to just about a foot from her knees. It was cleared from her face, and those emerald eyes that almost shone in the morning sun. Dangling behind her they could see the tail. It was amazing how she'd changed yet still looked the same.

"Hey Kiana."

Halliwell Manor, shortly after

"The last time I saw her was two weeks ago. She was only supposed to be away for a week, but she hasn't been back... I couldn't tell anyone, they might find out about me," Kiana explained. Helena nudged Diana, signaled to freeze Kiana. She did.

"Look guys. She thinks her father was the demon, not her mother. So be careful not to tell her otherwise please?"

"There's something you're not telling us. How do you know everything?" Nate asked. Helena ignored him, though inside it was a whole other story.

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Diana was told to unfreeze the girl, did so. "We'll help you find her. I promise." Kiana smiled.

As the others worked, Helena went into the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she looked into the mirror. Nate's words resonated in her head. They'd made her feel... guilty.

"You should tell them." She spun with a gasp. Persia sat on the bath's edge.

"How'd you get in?"

"Orbed." Helena signed. She'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed.

"How much do you know?"

"I'm not sure... I don't know if I really understand this power, so..." she shrugged.

"I can't tell them," Helena looked to the mirror. "They won't understand..."

"Sure they will. Besides, you'll have to tell them sooner or later... Well, sooner. Point is you might want to tell them before the choice is out of your hands. It will be if you don't speak up."

Persia orbed out and Helena was once again alone with her thoughts. What did Persia mean? What did she know that she wasn't telling? Helena sighed, dried her face and got out.

A few hours later

"What's going on?" Kiana stood as she saw a few of the others were 'gearing up.' They looked to each other, then her.

"Well, uh..." said Henry.

"If you're going to look for my mom, I want to come."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Prue shook her head.

"Why not? They get to go," she pointed to Shannon and Kaley, the point of her tail punctuating her point. "Look, if you're worried about my being defenseless, you don't have to. I can fight, my mom's had me in lessons since I was seven."

"That's not it," Diana assured her.

"So what is it?" Kiana asked, confused.

"It's complicated," Prue answered.

"This is my family, I don't care if it's complicated." The others shared a look.

"You don't understand... what will you do if it hurts too much? It shouldn't come from us," Prue spoke up.

"I don't care. Just tell me."

"Fine. We're going to see your demon uncle."

"My dad has a brother?"

"I don't know, but your mom does, a demon."

"What? No. No, that's impossible, because then my mom would be..."

"A demon? Yes. Upside? She's working for good."

"W-wait. Are you saying... both..."

"No. Just your mom. Your father's human." Kiana's face was full of questions.

"I don't understand... her voice few small. Prue came to sit with her.

"I know it's hard to deal with our parents' secrets. We all do. But it's usually for the best. As for your mom... I think she did it to protect you."

"I have to find her. Please... let me come?" Prue looked to the others, taking in their thoughts.

"Okay. But be careful. Stay close to us, don't go crazy runner, got it?"

"Got it," she nodded.

Barin's lair - soon after

"You're back! And you brought..."

"Protection," Charlotte smirked. "And uh... family." She directed his gaze to the green-eyed girl standing cautiously by Prue's side. As Charlotte mentioned her, she stood at attention and her tail peeked out from behind her. The demon actually looked emotional at the sight of her. Barin himself also had a tail like hers, but as a whole he definitely looked like a demon, not just a human with a tail.

"Kiana? Is that you? I can't believe it, last time I saw you... you were nothing more than a baby. And now you're... all grown up," he smiled. "Finer traits, but you look just like Linae at that age." Kiana did her best not to cry. She stared the man down.

"So... It's true then... it's my mom." Barin looked to the witches, confused.

"Linae... Marie... never told her. She thought it was her father," Emily told him.

"That loser?" Kiana whimpered at the word.

"Look, if you want us to help you, cut it out," Prue stomped her foot once.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "Sorry," he turned to Kiana.

"Whatever," she shrugged.

"So here's the deal. We do the transfer, you connect, get her location, then the powers return to their owners. We'll be keeping an eye on you, no funny business," Emily explained.

"Works for me," Barin nodded.

The set-up was done, and they got started. They made sure to transfer only the connection power, not the fire and ice. The twins would sleep through it, as they weren't sure how they'd handle the connection being gone.

Once the transfer was done, the twins sleeping, Barin was kept in a crystal cage. The others waited, deep in nervousness. Then his breathing, his whole posture, shifted.

"W-what's happening? Where am I?" His gaze fell to Kiana and his eyes welled up. "Thank goodness... you're alright." She knew.

"Mom?" Kiana cried.

"Where am I? My voice... it's..."

"Listen, we don't have much time. Do you know where you are... I mean, were, before here?" Charlotte asked. 'Barin' thought.

"It's a house... on Adam Street. There have to be charms on the house, it..." He/She stopped talking, his/her stance returning to the previous one. The group moved into action. Breaking the cage, they quickly cancelled the transfer.

"Welcome back," Charlotte nodded.

"Did you find her?"

"Pretty much. Might have gotten more if you hadn't returned so quickly. But I know it's tough to control at first, so I'll let it slide," Emily shrugged.

"Right then. Let's go get her."

Adam Street

"We're looking for a house with charms," Prue reminded them. They nodded and started looking around.

"Garden gnome, flamingo, gnome, gnome, gnome and flamingo... hello," Barin observed. "I think we have a winner," he pointed to one house that definitely stood out, sitting in the middle of the other houses. "If I'd known it could have been this easy... Well, I'd be embarrassed," he chuckled.

"I hope we never see each other again after this," Charlotte groaned.

"Thanks, same to you," Barin nodded.

The group, consisting of the twins, Prue, Nate, Henry, Diana, Cecilia, the Tolkins and Kiana and her uncle, made its way closer to the house. They surveyed the said charms. They were able to tell it would sustain all magic they threw at it.

"How about we just do it the regular way," Kiana suggested. She got up to the door and, with a powerful hit, kicked the door down.

"We really need to think a bit more human," Henry shook his head.

"I'm thinking that's what they are. It's strong, but it's sloppy too," Barin observed. Emily turned to him. "I know, I know, don't kill the humans," he held up his hands with a sigh.

The group charged into the house. It was quiet. Maybe Linae/Marie's captors weren't there. "What do you remember seeing?" Prue asked Barin.

"I think it was a closet. I don't know where in the house. Sorry."

"Okay. Let's split up. Nate, Henry, Barin, Di and Cece, take the ground and basement. The rest of us will take the second and attic. And make it quick. We don't know when they'll be back," Prue instructed. The others nodded and went in their assigned directions. Prue held Nate off for a moment. "Watch him." He nodded, they kissed, and they joined their groups.

The downstairs group checked the closets on the ground floor, descending to the basement when they'd found nothing. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Barin stopped them. "Hold on..." He saw the charm too late and all fell unconscious as it flashed in their eyes.

Upstairs, the second group soon ended up at the attic door. "It's locked," Prue announced.

"Mind if I..." Shannon spoke up. Prue smiled and stepped aside. Shannon breathed deep, finding her center and focusing on the lock as she raised her hand. Within just a few short seconds, the lock had fallen.

"Good job," Prue congratulated the young witch, sensing the sudden pride it brought her. Pushing the door, they found the attic was obviously 'work central.' Everything was there, to prepare charms, potions, spells...

"Shannon, Kaley, go check out the closet. Kiana, you stay with me." The girl nodded. The Tolkin sisters approached the attic cautiously.

"W-what if there's a charm on the door?" Kaley whimpered. "Anyone in there?" she asked toward the space. No sound. "Unconscious?"

Prue tilted her head, focusing her mind to the possible person inside. Usually, she could be focusing on someone by knowing they'd be there. This time, she could have been focusing at empty space. Then she picked up a thought, weak but present.

'Help me...' Prue sent a thought. It was hard, but possible.

'Marie?'

'Yes!'

'It's okay. We'll get you out. Do you know if anything's protecting the door?'

Kiana watched Prue, unsure of what she was doing. She felt a tingle up her back. She looked around. Her mother had long told her that being half demon, she might experience awareness of danger at times. Was this it? "Guys?"

"The screws, they're the charms," Prue was telling the sisters. Kiana felt it for sure now - something... someone... was coming. There was... a trap door in the floor. She looked up, and she smiled.

In the "tunnel", John and Ted Murray signaled the moment to open the hatch. When they did, they came face to face with a girl... hanging upside down from a pipe. "Hi," she grinned. She released the tail's hold, whipping it at the intruders with all her might as she landed to her feet. She looked back to find she'd knocked them to the ground. "Guys, a little help please?" she called out to the others. They turned and reacted to the new presence immediately.

Kiana stepped back, let them deal with it. She looked back to the closet door with a course of action of her own. Coming to stand before the door, she turned her head to the side and worked to bring her tail up. She smiled at the success. Positioning herself, she reached up what she'd always considered a non-useful troublemaker and worked at picking the screws. One by one, they fell. The door fell, and she caught it. She looked in. there was her mother, tied to a chair and barely conscious.

"Kiana..." she whispered. The girl rushed to hug her, crying.

"I'm here. It's okay." As Prue and the sisters got control of the kidnapping brothers, they looked over with a smile.

Downstairs, a few minutes later

"Where is everyone?" Shannon asked.

"Prue, can you sense them?" Kaley turned to the older witch.

"I... if they're here, they're either unconscious, or..." She ran to the basement door, throwing it open. Somehow it caused for a crystal to drop, shattering on the floor. She didn't take notice of it as she saw the others down on the floor.

"Let's get them out of here," Kaley snapped the group into action.

"What do we do about the guys up there? Do we call the police?" Shannon asked.

"We can't, not with what they know. Don't worry, we'll figure it out," Prue nodded.

One hour later - Halliwell Manor

Helena surveyed the scene before her. Those found in the basement of the house where Marie McKent was held were lying in makeshift beds around the living room. Some had started to wake up but they mostly remained lying down.

Kiana sat at her mother's bedside, the two of them deep in conversation. Marie had a lot to tell to her daughter, both knowing it would take time to settle in new truths.

The Tolkin sisters were talking as well, and it seemed as though they hadn't spoken for months the way they were going at it. Many things needed to be reconciled in their case as well, but on much different grounds.

Prue and the others were watching over the sleeping ones. Helena watched them all and she wondered - could they ever understand the choices she'd made... almost made... Would they hate her? She couldn't push the thoughts away.

February 9th 2029 - Shealy Gallery

"What do you think?" Roxane asked Simon. She sat on the couch by her office. Simon stood, observing the newly hung pieces. He turned back to his wife and smiled. "What?" she smirked back.

"At the risk of sounding redundant, you're more beautiful everyday."

"And as big as a house. Life is good." Her father had opened the gallery when they came, put it in the hands of a co-worker when he had to leave. When the new owner had unexpectedly died, Roxane had agreed to take over.

"Come on, don't say that," he came to sit next to her, putting a hand on her belly.

"Relax, I'm just teasing," she winked. Then her face shifted. "And this time I'm not teasing. We have to go to the hospital, it's time."

Hospital - Hours later

"Hit me," Prue urged Nate as Molly slept in her lap. Nate smirked and put a card down. Prue squealed. "I win! Again!"

"The monkey! Don't..." Molly mumbled in her sleep. The parents laughed silently, sharing a smile.

"I can't believe she's already six..." Prue sighed, brushing her daughter's back.

"I know the feeling," Nate nodded. Prue looked up at him.

"Ever think..."

"What?" Nate asked. Prue shrugged.

"Well... everything's nice and... settling. I always figured we might try for another eventually."

"Yeah?" Nate asked, semi-surprised.

"Yeah," Prue smiled. "I promised you more first four years, didn't I?" Nate looked down to Molly and smiled.

"I'm in, but... I think we should wait a bit longer, get more means to support this eventual... Halliwell? Or Pereira?" he asked.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"Well, they should have the same name they would have the same parents. And I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to force a name change on Molly, so... unless you care for hyphenates, Halliwell sounds fine." Prue nodded.

"This should be fun."

"Hey, guys..." All looked up at the sound of Simon's voice. "I have someone to present to you," he smiled.

The family followed the proud new daddy. Roxane was sleeping as they came in. the nurse was watching the baby, who also slept by the bed.

"So, everyone, here is my son... Robert Andrew Belland."

"Could I..." Glen asked. Simon picked up the newborn in his arms with great care. The boy stirred and Simon gently calmed him before handing him to Glen. "Hey there Robert. I'm your Grampa Glen." Paige smiled as she saw her husband was crying.


	35. Reuniting Reality

I completely forgot to update yesterday! Sorry! Anyhoo, here is the new chapter. I've also updated the character tree :) Again, let me remind you, do NOT post reviews at the character tree chapter. Once I post new chapters and all, I don't know what will happen to it, so I don't wanna lose what you guys write to me :) The next chapter is not ready yet, but school's almost over, so you can be assured I'll get to it as soon as possible.

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April 20th 2029 - Will & Helena's

"I can't believe how well you're taking all this," Prue told Helena. The two were having lunch, along with Merilyn and Roxane.

"Taking what?" Helena asked, confused.

"The pregnancy. When I was waiting on Molly, every new thing surprised me, and you're not phased at all." Roxane nodded knowingly.

"I don't know," Helena shrugged.

"So what's your secret?" Merilyn asked. Helena nearly dropped her fork, but she regained her grip. They were right, she wasn't surprised. She'd already experienced these firsts... with Jillian. She hated that she couldn't marvel at this first baby, because in fact it wasn't. It would be her first delivery, but it didn't change the facts of what happened. It was done now.

"No secret. Guess I just don't surprise easily." Almost as though someone was trying to prove her wrong, the moment her last word had been spoken, there was a flash across from where they sat, in the living room. Helena gasped, jumped, as the other three turned to look. As the form of many people standing together began to appear, the girls tensed. When the appearance was completed, depositing six people there, they stood ready to attack. Helena saw who it was and her eyes grew wide. "Wait! Stop! Don't attack! I know them!" The six arrivals smiled as the three diners looked to Helena, puzzled.

"What's going on?" Prue asked.

"It's a long story," Helena stood. She walked to the arrivals, smiling. "It's so good to see you again!" she hugged them one by one, greeting each quietly.

"We weren't sure, but we didn't know who else to turn to," said the eldest of the girls.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Glad you're here." The girl put a hand on Helena's belly.

"This sure brings back memories, in more ways than one," she grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean? Helena, what's going on?" Prue asked. Helena gasped, suddenly called back to reality. She looked between the two groups, feeling her heart beat faster. Was this what Persia had meant in the bathroom? She took a deep breath and charged on, knowing she didn't have much of a choice.

"W-when I was gone for those six months, I was in an alternate reality. In that reality, my father didn't die, allowing him to save Aunt Piper and Aunt Phoebe. These people here... they come from that reality. They're the children born thanks to the rescues." Helena let this information sink in. After a moment, she proceeded. "This is Thomas, Phoebe and Jason's son. And these are my siblings of that reality, Margot and Sam Norwood. The twins, Padget and Penelope, are Piper and Leo's." Prue looked at the girls, her sisters. "And... so's she. Since Piper wasn't killed, she was born when she was supposed to..."

"Persia..." Prue spoke slowly. The girl nodded. "Why didn't you tell us?" Prue asked Helena.

"Because that's only a part of the story. And the other part is too long of a story."

"And unfortunately, we don't have much time," Thomas spoke up.

"What's going on? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I'm guessing this isn't a social call, is it?" Helena asked Margot.

"Not exactly," she shook her head.

"Someone's trying to fold back the realities, to erase us," A-Persia explained.

"The others, those who have doubles, they disappeared, Our Helena, Prue, Henry, Emily, Charlotte. Took about a week to figure out where they were," Sam continued. Helena understood what he meant.

"Oh God... Why haven't we felt them?"

"From what we got, we think they're being kept dormant," Padget explained.

"Until an opportune time when they can be awakened and go through what you went through," Penelope continued.

"Helena?" Prue asked her cousin, but she wouldn't answer.

"Do you know who's responsible?" Helena asked.

"Can't tell. Could be anyone for all we know. Either way, we have to hurry and make all this right again before they can make their move," Margot explained.

"Helena, come on! Will you please tell us what's going on here?" Prue asked, calling them all to attention. She saw the anguish flash in her cousin's eyes.

"I-I can't."

"Why not?" Prue asked softly.

"I just... it's..." Helena didn't want to cry, not now. "Just read me..." she relented, closing her eyes. Prue hesitated for a moment. What could be so bad that would have kept it a secret for three years. Finally, she honed in, pushing at the usual barriers she met when reading a fellow witch.

Prue felt bombarded by the thoughts, the eager thoughts that had been held back for so long. She saw Helena's arrival in this new world, encounters with new family, and new old family... Eric, Piper, Phoebe... She saw her distress, her need to return. A bigger distress appeared - memories fading, comfort taken in Will's support. A pregnancy, a happy Helena experiencing the very surprises Prue had thought she lacked... She saw Helena encountering Nate, bringing him home. She saw herself, with another man, a ring on her finger. She saw Helena, closing the door on Nate. Then there was Helena with Aymara, the oracle showing a tearful Helena images of home. Helena finding Nate again. She saw this 'fiance' exploding, Helena becoming two Helenas, then one disappearing, arriving home again. The final image featured a crying Helena holding her flattened belly after her return. She snapped out of her cousin's mind and immediately hugged her.

"Len... I don't know what to say... I'm so sorry."

"I should be the one who's sorry... I almost let you go," she cried.

"But you didn't. What's important is that you came back. Don't forget that."

"Thank you," she managed a smile.

"Would you like me to explain it to the others?" Prue asked, still holding on.

"No it's okay. I can do it... I have to do it."

Halliwell Manor - One hour later

All sat in silence, amazed with Helena's revelations. "Sweetheart, Froggy... you didn't have to hide this, go through it alone," Paige sat at her daughter's side.

"I'm sorry," she cried.

"It doesn't matter now, it's in the past. Don't worry too much. Just take care of yourself, and my granddaughter." Helena smiled.

"Guys, fill them in on the situation?" Helena asked the visitors.

"Someone is trying to erase our reality, and they're doing it with a reverse effect of what was done with Helena," Margot explained.

"Meaning?" Charlotte asked.

"Meaning the you, Emily, Henry, Prue, and Helena from our reality were taken and placed dormant inside you," Padget explained.

"If they're left there, they'll awaken then slowly take over you before being faded away," Penelope continued.

"And when that happens... the other world will cease to exist..." Helena finished.

That night, Halliwell Manor

"So how's Amy?" Helena asked Margot.

"She's good. If we get back home, I'll have to show you pictures of her second birthday through that mirror thing of yours."

"Why didn't you bring her? You guys might be able to stay if your world..."

"Disappears? I couldn't... if I know she's still there, I'll fight harder. I have to believe we'll get there. There's no guarantee we wouldn't disappear too." Helena nodded. Margot looked at her.

"Jillian's good too." Helena looked at her. "I know you're thinking about her."

"It's not like I thought it would stop hurting completely, but..."

"You know, you'll probably be able to visit her soon. She's three now, she'll be able to understand who her mother is..." Margot stopped, realizing she'd possibly said the worst thing she could have. "I didn't mean it like that. Len..."

"It's okay," Helena answered her, though it obviously wasn't.

"Come on. Let's go see how they're doing in there," Margot helped Helena up, hugging her before the two walked in from the porch.

"Wait... what about Prue... the baby... is she gonna be okay? With the transfer and all?"

"We don't know... can't tell until they're split again," Margot admitted. "Don't worry, we'll get it done on time," she reassured her sister at the sight of panic in Helena's eyes. She'd been thrilled to hear about alternate-Nate and Prue's wedding, even more upon hearing of their impending parenthood.

As the girls reentered the living room, they found the others were just waiting around. "Any news?" Helena asked. A-Persia entered then, followed by Prue and Nate.

"We have a lead."

"Great. What's up?" Thomas asked.

"Nate figured whoever's responsible might have left a trail. And they did," Prue grinned.

"This kind of thing requires some serious magic, which requires materials," Nate continued.

"We got the shop, then we got an address," A-Persia held up a slip of paper.

"Rock on," Margot nodded with a grin.

"You know, it's in those times I wish this whole pregnancy would be done with. To chase a bad guy again... I'm really fast..." Helena whimpered.

"Enjoy the slow while you have it, 'cause once she gets here..." Will laughed, kissing the top of his wife's head as he stood behind the couch.

"Yeah, you just worry about keeping my niece safe. That's the most important thing you can do right now," Prue reassured her cousin.

"It's the only thing I can do," Helena intoned with a smile. "Just get this guy."

"Will do!"

The house, half an hour later

The group orbed in, one volley at a time. Prue had Nate with her. A-Persia had Thomas, Sam had Henry, and Padget and Penelope came together. "Is the backup in place?" Thomas asked.

"Should be. Hopefully it'll work if it's needed," Henry nodded. Outside, more of them waited.

"There has to be something else..." A-Persia whispered.

"What do you mean?" Prue asked her.

"I don't know. It just seems like we got here too easily. It might be a trap."

"I know. But at this point we have to risk it," Prue told her 'alternate' sister.

"So tell me something," Nate asked A-Persia. She turned to him. "How is it that you're here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Doubles were placed in their equivalents. And you're a double."

"The other me isn't quite me. Guess we couldn't be merged," she shrugged.

"Helena said the other Helena had an extra power. They weren't the same and they still merged. The other you may be much smaller, but she's still you. It doesn't change anything. So now the question becomes..." Out of the blue Nate whipped out his arm and struck the girl down. "Who are you?" Prue and Henry grabbed his arms, held him back as Padget and Penelope went to approach their sister.

"Nate, what are you doing?" Prue asked.

"Girls, stop there! That's not your Persia. Your Persia is right where she's supposed to be, in the little Persia. That's your demon." The twins hesitated, looking at their sister on the floor.

"Persia?"

"H-he's crazy..." she cried.

"Come on now, that's not going to work," Nate groaned. 'A-Persia's' face changed, going from panic to a great and wicked smile.

"Was worth a shot." Prue and Henry let Nate go in shock. "Amazing it took you so long to figure it out. And now I have you right where I want you."

"Guess it WAS a trap" Prue sighed. "So what'd you do? Fix the books at the shop?"

"Fixed the shopkeeper at the shop. Or well, had the shopkeeper killed and one of my minions take over at the shop," she smiled.

"So who are you? What do you want?" Thomas asked.

"You really think I'd tell you?"

"She wants to be rid of the Charmed Ones, the ones from the other world."

"Mindreader, right," the demon rolled A-Persia's eyes.

"You hated them so much you found your way back even after they had destroyed you."

"It should have worked!" she screeched. "We were more powerful." She was cracking.

"I've heard about you... Hannah Webster. You worked with my Aunt Prue at an auction house. And sorry, but you really weren't. My mom, my aunts, they were better. If you're not happy to have them alive in that other reality, then leave it."

"That's not good enough. I want them gone. And if I have to break down a hundred realities, I..." She was cut off as, mid-rant, she didn't take notice of Nate setting up a shot with a boost from Henry. The woman returned to her true appearance for a moment, screaming, before disappearing.

"Wow... I just..." Padget was the first to speak. "We had no idea it wasn't her."

"Don't worry about it. We didn't know either," Prue assured her.

"We should get back to the manor and straighten this out. They should have gotten her by now," Prue told the others.

At the manor

"You got her to come back, didn't you?" Paige asked Aymara, who sat watching television.

"She got herself back. I merely helped remind her she wanted to be here."

"So you know all about the two worlds?" The oracle turned to Paige.

"I know all the worlds I inhabit." Paige nodded. "She made many sacrifices to be back here. You'd have been proud."

"I am," Paige looked to her daughter, who watched over Molly, Olivia, and Persia.

"You should tell her when you see the look. You've noticed it, the shame she still carries. You're the one who can get her through it."

The group returned. "Where's the other me?" Persia asked, coming to greet them.

"Well..." Prue started. Persia's face changed.

"Oh... gotcha." Prue nodded to herself.

"Someone's powers are coming along..." Aymara spoke sort of proudly. "Right, so... Are you ready?"

"What's gonna happen?" Emily asked.

"Once she splits us, the doubles will return to the other reality on their own within a minute or two," Helena explained.

"I'll send the others with them," Aymara nodded. "Splitters, step up and spread out." Helena couldn't help flashing back to the last time she'd been split. Only this time, she'd be the one staying...

A flash of light later, the doubles stood separated. No one seemed to know what to say. The two Helenas looked to each other. A-Helena leaned over to whisper in R-Helena's ear. "Come visit us sometime, okay? She knows." They shared a look, and a moment later she and the other travelers had disappeared.

Later, as Helena stood in the newly decorated nursery, Paige orbed in. "You called?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something..." Helena told her mother as they sat by the window. "About this whole thing today..." Paige nodded.

"I thought that'd be it."

"I just... I don't know how to explain all this."

"Sweetie, it's okay. Remember what happened right before you disappeared?" Helena looked at her mother, remembering it indeed... the revival attempt... attempts. "I know how you feel about what happened. I don't talk about it too much, probably for the same reason you don't. When your aunts were killed I let everyone believe I was doing well enough. Truth was I felt like I shouldn't be there."

"Is that why you took me to Grandma and Grandpa's?" Paige couldn't quite respond. "I didn't really know what was going on, I guess I figured it out eventually. All I knew was that everyone was being really nice to me..."

"I couldn't lose it... most of all in front of you. I'd let them down, and I didn't want you to know."

"Mom... I would never hold it against you. I love you..." Paige smiled, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"And I love you... my little Froggy. It's okay, you can sleep now."

"Thanks Mom... Really. I'm glad you know."

July 12th 2029 - Hospital

"So Helena's not coming?" Prue asked Paige as they sat in the waiting room.

"No. I think she doesn't want to come before she has to... which should be pretty soon."

"Ah, excited?" Prue smiled.

"Very much so. I thought it'd feel odd... being a grandmother. But it doesn't. I'm actually... ecstatic." Prue laughed lightly.

"Good for you Aunt Paige."

"Thanks."

"So what's it gonna be? Grandma? Granny? Grams? Nana?" Molly came running up.

"Mom, come see! There's babies everywhere!" Prue grinned.

"I knew she'd get excited after seeing them," she told Paige before following her daughter. As she got closer to the window, she could see Olivia and Persia looking through. Standing next to them were two women. They turned and Prue squealed before she could prevent it. She covered her mouth, hoping she hadn't disturbed too many people.

"Hey, if it isn't our old roomie. Small world, uh?" Norah Garry smiled.

"Been too long, hon," Caroline Hughes did as well.

"I can't believe it!" Prue hurried to hug her old friends. Haven't seen you both in so long!"

"You think we'd miss this?"

"Hi!" Molly spoke up, ever the eager greeter.

"My goodness... Molly?" Norah gasped.

"Yes?"

"You've gotten so big! How old are you now?"

"Six and a half!" she announced proudly.

"Wow! Well, I don't know if you know who I am."

"You're Norah!"

"I am!" she said with a grin.

"Oh she knows all about you two," Prue nodded.

"Prue! Prue!" came a call from down the hall. She looked up to find Mrs. Hendrix walking over quickly. "You're not going to believe this! Norah, Caroline! It's good to see you again!"

"Mrs. Hendrix, what's going on?" Caroline asked, laughing at the sight of her excitement.

"Come on," she guided her daughter's friends and the little ones toward the room. As they entered, they could see Keely, sitting in her bed holding a baby in pink blankets.

"Knock, knock," Norah called, careful not to make the baby cry. Keely looked up, and she looked happier than they'd ever seen her be.

"You came!"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"But I can one-up you on that surprise though," Keely smiled, nodding her head across the room. The girls followed the nod and their mouths fell open. Tristan sat in a rocking chair with a similarly pink-blanketed newborn.

"We were just as surprised as you are," Tristan explained as he stood, coming forward to present his daughters with great pride. "This here is Trista Connors, our firstborn. And here's our surprise girl Miss Christa Connors," he indicated the baby in Keely's arms, then his own.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Mrs. Hendrix cried. Caroline took the new grandmother's arm with a grin.

"So how long are you two in town for?" Prue asked. Norah and Caroline later as they all sat in Keely's room. Tristan was off looking after the girls and Mrs. Hendrix was sleeping.

"We have to get back in the morning," Norah, explained.

"How's the business?" Keely asked.

"It's pretty good," Caroline nodded. Norah and her had opened a spa/beauty shop-type place in Boston. "It's so good to see you again, we really should come more often."

"You won't get any objection here," Prue smiled.

One week later, July 19th 2029 - Will & Helena's

"Dad... Dad, don't worry about it. It shouldn't be for a few more days. You've got time!" Helena told P/Eric on the phone. She sat on the couch, put her feet up. "I'm fine, really. I'm achy, but that's to be expected. You know if there was anything wrong I'd let you know. Relax, okay?" she laughed. She found it kind of sweet the way he worried.

The door opened and Will walked in. There was something about his stance that didn't feel right. She watched as he walked right by, almost dragging his feet. Usually he would stop to greet her and the belly, but he just seemed out in his own world.

"What? Yeah, I'm still here, sorry. Listen Dad, I gotta go but good luck on the overseas thing. I'll call you tonight or something." She hung up and worked to get up again. She went to close the door, which had been left hanging open. Helena padded through the apartment, finally finding Will in their bedroom. He sat on the bed, hunched over. He'd started changing out of his work clothes but had apparently given up on the task. He held his watch, picking at a scratch on the side. "Will?" He didn't look up, continued to play with the watch. "Honey?" she walked up to the bed and sat next to him. "What's going on?"

"My mother is dead," he spoke evenly, still on the watch.

"What? Will..." she reached over to hug him. As she held him, he broke down. "It's gonna be okay... it's gonna be okay..." she spoke in a hush, having some difficulty keeping it together herself.

Helena stayed with Will for the next hour, until he finally agreed to eat. Neither of them being in the shape to stand by the stove for too long, they settled on re-heating leftovers.

"Thank you," Will breathe as Helena sat putting the plates down.

"Of course. So... what happens now?"

"I'm not sure. They told me some things, but I couldn't pay attention."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"O-okay." They were quiet for a moment. "It all happened so fast. I got to the hospital, I was going to call you, but..."

"You don't have to explain yourself," Helena assured him, putting her fork down and taking his hand.

"I should be glad she's at peace now, but... I just want her to still be here with us."

"I know, honey..."

Two days later, they gathered at the cemetery. The past nights had been hard on Will, but Helena was always there, ready to help. All the little discomforts seemed insignificant now. As the ceremony went on, she stayed alert to Will. As the priest spoke of their "dear friend Tess Hyland" in the past, she could feel Will tensing up.

As Will came to stand to receive condolences, Helena watched him and tried to imagine what he must have been feeling. All the "your mother was a great woman" and "we'll miss Tess very much" was surely well meant, but did it bring him the comfort those who offered it had hoped?

After the others had left, Will and Helena stayed back. "After my father died, my mother told me he'd always be with us. I knew she wanted me to feel better, and I did, but... He wasn't really there. And now with her gone too I don't really know what to think."

"She'll be with you, with your dad. It's hard to take, but you'll get through it. I promise."

"I know you're probably right. It'll take some time before I can really believe it though..."

"Take your time. I'll be right there."

Four days later - July 25th 2029

"Another movie? Len, it's past two in the morning," Will smiled.

"I know, I know. I just can't sleep... Please?"

"Okay," he kissed her and got up to change the movie. Once he'd returned, she settled back in his arms, head on his shoulder.

"You're the best," she smiled.

"Thanks." She giggled to herself.

Halfway through the movie, the fourth in a row, Will saw Helena seemed to be dozing off. He reached over to the remote to shut off the television.

"Don't..." she protested, half-asleep.

"You're not watching it."

"I-I am..."

"Go to sleep, you need it."

"I can't... it hurts too much."

"What hurts?" Will asked, sitting up a bit.

"I don't know... I thought it might be... It's probably nothing..."

"Alright, I'm taking you to the hospital," Will started gathering his wife up in his arms.

"Don't be silly, it's nothing, it's..." she stopped. "Okay. Maybe it's a little contraction."

"Let's go."

They got to the car, where Helena got the phone from Will. "Mom, hi. I know it's late... or early, whichever way you want to look at it. Right, so we're off to the hospital... I know! Can you call the others? Okay, thank you. See you there... Granny," she hung up with a smile. She dialed the next number, and she hoped she'd remember what she needed to say. "B-bonjour. Est-ce que je peux parler avec Peter Adams? Merci."

"Very good," Will laughed.

"Merci," Helena teased.

"Helena?" P/Eric came on the phone.

"Dad... thank goodness. How'd I do?"

"You did great. What's the matter?"

"Well, you might want to get back."

Soon, Will and Helena were at the hospital. Paige arrived at about the same time. She came along as Helena was settled into her room. They'd decided things would be okay at the hospital, choosing to believe nothing wrong would come.

"I can't believe I'm just about to become a grandmother... me." Helena laughed.

"Flashing to the backseat?" she asked her mother. When she'd found out where she'd been born, Helena had found it hilarious.

There was a knock at the door, and Prue poked her head in. "Hey, Len. I have a little present for you," she winked before stepping aside. P/Eric walked in, and Helena understood soon enough - they'd cast the spell again, the one to make Paige believe she knew about the three whitelighters. In effect, Prue had given her her father being present at the birth of her child without a fuss. She'd be thanking her cousin profusely later.

Hours went by, and the sun was just coming down when the newest member of the Halliwell line presented herself. The doctor handed the baby girl to her mother and Helena smiled with tears of joy. "Hey... Hi... Tessa..." It was Will's turn to smile then. "Here's your daddy..." she whispered before handing her over to Will. He looked almost afraid at first, but seeing his daughter looking up at him, with blue/gray eyes and a little fuzz that would become blond hair. His mother would have said she looked just like him as a baby.

"Hello..." She looked at him and gently cooed. "There are a lot of people here who've been waiting a long time to meet you, your mom and I especially. And you'll always be safe, no matter what."

One month later - August 19th 2029 - Will & Helena's

"So what are you two doing today?" Will asked as he put away his breakfast dishes.

"Oh, nothing special. Girl stuff," Helena winked. "Right?" she looked to Tessa sitting in her arms. The girl gave her father a bright smile.

"Alright, have fun!" he kissed them both before heading off.

"Aaand maybe we'll summon some people... What do you think?" she raised Tessa up to look into her eyes. She laughed, and Helena kissed her little nose. "Come on!" she got up and headed into the living room.

After placing Tessa in her chair, Helena set up for the summoning. She closed her eyes and recited the incantation. A moment later, Penny, Patty, and Prue (1) appeared.

"Darling, I'm so glad you called," Penny smiled as the women stepped out of the circle.

"Well, I had to present someone special to you," Helena spoke as she picked up her daughter. "This is my little Tessa..."

"She's beautiful sweetie..." Prue (1) smiled. "May I?" Helena gladly handed her over.

"She has your smile," Patty spoke up as the three dead witches looked to the one-month-old.

"Thank you."

"Does she have any powers yet?" Penny asked.

"Mom, she's barely a month old!" Patty blinked.

"Well, you never know! After all, she's one of us..."

"I'm sure she'll be really powerful" Prue (1) nodded.

"With you three in our family, how could she not be?" Helena beamed.

Later that day - Chicago

"Shh, careful. We have to be quiet for a minute, okay?" Helena whispered to Tessa as they stood in the closet. Finally, the light came, meaning it was safe to come.

"Hello!" Sherry Norwood came to greet them. At 75, she was still as energized as ever. Helena often joked with her that she'd live forever, guiding generation after generation.

"We had a visit with the other grandmothers, it only seemed natural..." Sherry had already promised that as soon as Helena went back to work, Sherry would gladly watch over her great-granddaughter.

"Listen. I had a talk with Prue. I was thinking that... now that Jack's passed on... all the people I care about are in San Francisco. I have a friend who's agreed to take over my shop here. She's very good, so my clients would be in good hands. Basically I'd be moving to San Francisco, working in the shop there. What do you think?"

"Are you kidding? I think it would be a great idea! Grandma, that's awesome!" Helena hugged Sherry.

"And now I can be closer to my girls!"

"And your girls will be overjoyed," Helena nodded. Sherry laughed before picking up Tessa.

"And how are her powers coming?" Helena laughed.

"You and my great-grandmother would get along great. I'll have to introduce her to you someday."

"It would be an honor," Sherry nodded.

"So how are you doing?" Jack Norwood had passed just a few weeks before Tess Hyland. Since then, Helena had worried about her grandmother.

"Oh, you know, it's all about one day at a time. I remember when your father was killed... I thought I wouldn't manage. Yet here we are, over 23 years later. It hasn't been an easy road of course." Helena hated not being able to tell Sherry about P/Eric but she didn't want to risk ticking off the Elders. They could just as easily remove them, and she didn't want that. Although now she wondered... if Sherry was living in San Francisco would she figure it out? She'd always been very intuitive. She might take one look at P/Eric and know. But then if that happened, it would be fine because it would be an accident and they couldn't do anything. "Helena?"

"What? Oh..." she laughed. "Sorry, I just..."

"Something on your mind?" Helena looked at her, holding Tessa.

"No. Everything's fine," she smiled.

"Good," Sherry nodded. Somehow, she must have known she wasn't telling the whole story. But the good thing about her grandmother was that she knew not to push on issues.

"So when are you coming over?"

"Well... I have to find a house, pack, get my things in order, and then San Francisco, here I come!" 


	36. Sister to Sister

_Hello all!  
You thought this fic was dead perhaps? Well, I feared it for a while too. Then a funny thing happened. On May 5th, I went and realized that on May 14th (today) it would have been two years exactly since my last update. thud Well, I thought I needed to do something about it. (An even funnier coincidence - I decided on this on the fourth anniv. of starting to write this story (May 5th 2003)) Anyhoo, before I could do that, I had to finish another story I was working on, then I had to reread the other 35 chapters, 'cause well... I was a little rusty ;) And then I had to write this chapter here (well, I had a part of it already written (and thank goodness for that) so in fact I had to finish it) And... I did it! I finished writing it this morning, much to the pain of my hand and arm... But it's done, and now here it is. And I swear it won't be another two years before another new chapter ;)_

_I hope those of you who used to read it will return, and those who haven't, well I hope you'll give it a chance. I had a lot of fun reading back through it, made me realize how much I loved this story, loved working on it, so... yeah :) I know it's a lot of information, but I'm presently working on a guide to make it easier to understand, so stick around for that ;)_

_Now enough babbling... here's the chapter!_

---

**CHAPTER 36 - Sister to Sister**

_September 15 2029 - Will & Helena's_

"Tessa? Where's Tessa?" Helena played around with the two-month-old. She opened her eyes and made a gasping noise of 'surprise'. The little one blinked for a moment before suddenly disolving into orbs. She reformed a moment later. This time, Helena was truly surprised. "Y-you orbed... Sweetie, you orbed!" she kissed her little cheeks. "Grandma'll be so happy... yours and mine..." she laughed.

In the time since Tessa was born, Helena discovered a new strength within herself. She didn't know how she would handle her firstborn not being little Jilly. But the fact of the matter remained that Tessa was her daughter, her "true" firstborn. The fears she'd had were gone now. She knew it would be okay. She intended to visit Jilly and her alternate family before long.

There was a knock at the door. Helena made sure Tessa was okay and went to answer. Her hand shot to her mouth to choke out a shout. The shock was quickly replaced by extreme and utter joy. "Hey Len."

"Allie, Allie..." she hugged the redhead. "What are..."

"Mom got transferred back," she hugged back.

"Your hair's gotten so long!" Helena laughed.

"Thanks," Allie laughed back. "So what's new?"

"Yeah, what happened? Haven't heard from you in like two years. Tried to find you..."

"I know, I know, it was a mess after we lost Matt, we just..." she got quiet with the mention of her stepfather, who'd passed two and a half years before.

"I'm just so happy you're back..." she hugged her again just as Tessa's cries rang out. Allie looked to Helena in surprise. Helena smiled, leading her to the nursery. "Hey, hey, shh, it's okay," she picked up the crying infant in hopes to calm her. The girl did just that as she settled in her mother's arms.

"Wow... you..."

"... and Will," Helena grinned. Allie's jaw "dropped".

The two went into the living room, little Tessa sleeping in Helena's arms, then Allie's. Helena told her about the things she'd missed, like the wedding. Allie told her about Evie, now nearing her nineteenth birthday, who was in college with aspirations of being a veterinarian. She told her about young Stephanie, Stevie, the youngest Pratt girl now 10 years old. She'd been friends with Persia before Jeannie's job moved the Pratts away and she was eager to have her friend back.

"So, seeing anyone?" Helena asked.

"Well..." Allie blushed.

"Tell me!" Helena asked excitedly.

"I... he's really changed, you know? He's not the way he used to be, he's really nice..." Helena was wondering what she was getting at, then it hit her.

"Marcowitz?"

"He's not how he used to be!"

"How'd this happen?" Helena asked.

"Well, we ran into each other, he goes to school nearby. We started to hang out and one thing led to another and..."

"And..."

"We're engaged," Allie spoke with a blush.

"Wow..." Helena tried to process the news.

"I really want this to be okay, with us... I'll need you there..." Helena looked to her friend and, knowing her friend was happy, she smiled.

"Of course I'll be there."

x

_December 5th 2029 - Halliwell Manor_

"Hey Wendy!" Helena smiled to the little blonde, almost two years old, as she ran about. C/Piper was sitting with four-month-old Tessa, so Helena watched over the young Mitchell. She picked her up, kissing her rosy cheeks. "You're gonna be a big sister!" Wendy giggled. "Yeah, you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Helena laughed, going to sit on the couch by her aunt and her daughter.

"Leo's already getting in new baby mode. It's kind of funny," C/Piper observed her husband standing nearby, talking with Jason. Helena laughed, looking as well.

"Yeah, Will was the same with Tessa. It's sweet." C/Piper observed her niece sitting there, saw the look on her face, and she knew.

"He's about to get that way again, isn't he?" Helena looked to her aunt and she still looked surprised even though she knew somehow they'd figure it out.

"I just... Tessa's not even six months old, and now... What if it's too soon?" C/Piper shook her head.

"Will loves that girl to bits. He'll be thrilled." Helena smiled.

"Yeah, he probably will..." Helena spoke, calming. "I'll tell him later," she nodded.

"Good." She paused. "Have you heard from the, uh, the other Prue?" Helena nodded again.

"She says it should be any day now... then they'll have their little Moira," she smiled.

A few weeks later, Prue of this world ran into Bradley Elementary, Molly in one hand and Olivia in the other. "Come on little feet," she urged on as they made their way to the gym.

"Mommy!" Molly panted.

"Right," Prue picked the girls up and continued running, making them giggle. They arrived at last, Prue placing the girls back on their feet and stopping to catch her breath.

"Miss Halliwell. You made it," the girls' teacher approached her, looking as pinched as ever.

"Yeah, sorry, traffic..." she breathed. Yes, traffic, but also demons, and she couldn't exactly tell her that. "Where do you need us?"

"Costumes," the woman pointed.

"Good," Prue nodded. They made their way to the 'station' where a few more kids and parents were already working. "Well, she's nice," Prue commented to the girls, making them giggle. Arriving in the costume station, Molly and Olivia ran over to a group of four girls running about in half-made costumes.

"Hi!" the first spoke, a short blonde. "Look!" she indicated her sorta costume.

"Kai, show them the hat!" said another of the girls, later known as Ainsley. Prue smiled as she settled, greeting some of the other parents.

"Okay, who's first?" Prue asked the girls, to a chorus of "Me! Me! Me!" "Okay, one at a time," Prue laughed. Finally one stepped up on the low stool. "Hi there. What's your name?"

"Helia," she smiled. Prue smiled back.

"That's a pretty name," she nodded. Prue fixed up the girl's costume, moving on next to the fourth girl, Celeste, who constantly pushed at her raven black hair. It was as she fixed up the collar of her elf costume that Prue saw it - a chain around her neck, at the end of which swung a pendant, a sphere with white smoke inside. Celeste didn't notice, busy with her hair. Prue looked at the girls. Helia had the sphere with red smoke. Kai and Ainsley had blue and green respectively.

"Hey girls, sorry we're late," came a voice from behind. Prue stood and turned and there they were - older but recognizable - the guardians of the elements. There was Mariska, guardian of water, her blue sphere matching Kai's. Isaura, of air, matched Celeste. Kaia, of earth, matched Ainsley. And Calida, of fire, matched Helia. When they saw her, they did the same double take.

"Hi..." Prue smiled.

Shortly after, once rehearsals were done, the group reconvened at Prue's home, the girls playing about as Prue and the Guardians sat in the living room.

"So they're guardians too?"

"Not yet, they're more like... in training. But one day... yeah, they will be," Calida nodded.

"This is just so unbelievable. Of all the schools..." Prue grinned.

"Maybe our families' cooperation isn't over," Kaia nodded over to the girls.

"You're a witch?" Ainsley asked Molly. She nodded. "What about you?" she asked Olivia.

"No, I'm human," she shook her head.

"That's great!" Kai grinned looking to the others. They smiled, each holding out their closed hands. When they opened them, a bead hovered about, of the same color as their pendant. The beads matched up, two clusters each containing one of each color, making two spheres of the swirling smoke.

"Take these," Helia gave them to Molly and Olivia. "If you need us."

x

_January 24 2030_

"Alright, here we go. What do you wanna do?" Emily asked as she walked out of the backroom, out of uniform.

"I don't know. Want to go see a movie?" Oliver asked. She smiled.

"Sure. Can we stop at the bookstore first? I need something new to read..."

"Sure," he echoed and she smiled.

"Okay, let's go." They got to the bookstore and started browsing. Emily always needed something to read. She couldn't go too long without diving into a new novel. She loved mysteries.

"How about this?" Oliver held out a book to her just as her phone rang. She received some looks from people sitting and reading nearby, so she excused herself and went into a corner to take the call. Oliver observed her smilingly. He absent-mindedly felt for the little box in his pocket. He had to keep telling himself she'd say yes or else his nerves would get the best of him. He'd put money aside for months before he could afford The Ring. He'd seen it on display in the window one day and he'd known immediately it would be perfect for Emily. He'd "visit" the ring a few times each week, making sure it was still there. And thankfully it remained there until he was able to buy it.

He came back to attention when he saw her call was done. She looked baffled. Then her phone rang again so he had to smile and wait once more. Finally she returned and took the book from him. "Oh I heard of this..." she nodded.

"Sweetie?" he asked. She looked up.

"Mm? Yes?"

"Who was it?" She looked at her phone, then back to him.

"Oh... uh... Charlotte. She wanted to check that we'd be there for dinner with her and Max. I said we'd be there at six."

"Ah. And the other?"

"Uh?"

"The other call?"

"Charlotte, again. She forgot something," Emily explained.

"Mm... Well, we should get going."

"Okay," she nodded as they headed to the cash register. They left the bookstore, heading to the movie theater. Oliver looked to Emily from time to time as they drove. She was looking out the window, but he could see her reflection in it. She looked deep in thought, her face seeming unsure whether it should smile or frown.

When they got to the theater, Oliver nodded to the ushers and others as they walked in. He worked there for a while, still was friends with everyone. It made certain things possible, such as what he wanted to do. They walked into the small theater, finding there were no other people there.

"Guess it's not too popular?" Emily remarked as they made their way to a couple of seats in the middle of a middle row.

"Maybe..." Oliver nodded, keeping up the required cluelessness.

"Oh, but you know what, that's the best, because now..." she rose her feet to rest on the seats of the row in front of them. "Ah..." she breathed out. "That's better. I have got to get new shoes."

"Em?" he smiled, smitten as smitten could be. She turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"There's actually a reason the theater's empty."

"Is there..." she looked around. He nodded, producing a rose from behind his seat. Her lips parted into a gasping smile as he twirled it above her head, unknowingly to her signaling the projectionist. The room dimmed as Oliver handed her the rose. Soon, the movie started, and she gasped.

"Oh, that movie, I..." she looked at him. "It was my favorite as a little girl. No matter how busy my father was, he would ALWAYS make time to watch it with us when it would air... How did you get this..." He took her hand.

"You'd be surprised the things you can make happen if you want them bad enough." Emily couldn't stop smiling.

"Olly, I..."

"I need to do this... before the credits are done or you'll hit me for talking during the dialogue." She laughed, but nodded. "I've been trying to find the best way to do this, for... weeks. And when it came down to it, I just knew I needed to get to it, and... I'm doing it again..." he let out a breath. "Emily, I love you, I have... since the first time I saw you and I almost fell on my face." She laughed, crying too. "You caught me... you've been catching me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. What I'm trying to say is... Will you be my wife?" Her mouth opened as he pulled out the ring.

"Oh, I'm gonna need a chain..." She spoke to herself. He chuckled. "I... yes, yes!" she laughed. "Yes..." she cried, and they kissed. He put the ring on her finger. She stared at it in awe.

"What was that about a chain?"

"Oh, right..." she blinked. "Because in a few months, it won't fit anymore. My fingers will be... swollen." He frowned, confused. But then his eyes lit up.

"You... we..."

"We..." she smiled. "Do we have fantastic timing, or what?" They kissed once more. "Okay, here we go," she batted giddily at his arm as they settled to the movie. He smiled, kissing the top of her head.

x

_March 3rd 2030 - Bridal shop_

This is insane..." Emily heaved as she stood and waited as they worked on her dress... again. "I would have been just as happy to wait until after the baby was born, but then I just thought by that time I just thought by that time I'll be trying to get rid of the weight and I'll feel gross, so we said 'March is good!'" she frowned, looking at her sister in the mirror.

"It's like me in a wedding dress... for the love of God, don't let Max get any ideas from this..."

"Charlie..." Emily tried to turn, much to the dismay of the woman working at her dress. "Sorry." Charlotte stood.

"You look beautiful. You're having a baby, this is only the beginning... But I promise you, this will be so worth it," she indicated the whole standing for the fitting posture. Emily smiled.

"Can't believe I'm getting married tomorrow..."

Quite suddenly, her eyes rolled up. Charlotte reacted just in time as Emily fell forward, nearly falling herself as she caught her. "EM! Emily, wake up... Wake up! Emily!"

x

_At this time, Nate & Prue's_

"Check it out. Once again, I am rocking the pageant costumes," Prue held one of them up to show Nate. "I should get a prize." He laughed.

"I can make that happen," he smirked.

"Nathaniel!" she gasped, which only made him laugh some more.

"Mom! Mom!" Both looked up to find Molly and Olivia running at them in a panic.

"Woah, what's the matter?" she put her arms over them as they halted before her. They both held up their hands. Each held their spheres, the one they had received from the guardians' daughters. In each of them, the red smoke seemed... diseased. It was the only way they knew to describe it.

"What's happening?" Molly asked, frightened.

"I don't know, but I'll look into it, okay?" The phone rang, and Nate answered.

"Did we break them?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, no, honey, of course not..."

"Prue..." She looked to Nate.

"It's your aunt." She grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

x

_San Francisco Memorial_

"Charlotte!" She turned.

"Oliver, you're here..."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," she cried. "She just... collapsed."

"The baby?"

"They're checking on it and Emily both..." A moment later, Prue joined them. Charlotte hugged her cousin.

"Hey, she'll get through this, I promise." She hugged Oliver next. "I think I might know what's wrong."

"What?" Charlotte asked. Prue pulled them aside before pulling out her own Guardian's sphere. Here too, the red smoke looked off.

"It's the fire... I'm on my way to go see if something's happened to Calida, but I wanted you to have this."

"Her fire power's making her sick?" Charlotte asked. Prue nodded.

"What's what I think. Look, I'll call or come the moment I figure... something." She held a second more before heading out. Charlotte looked to Oliver.

"I need your help. Come on." She led him to Emily's room. When they both saw her, it took them a time before either could speak. "Oliver, listen to me. When she wakes up, tell her you have to put me in her place, she'll need to pretend she's me and I'm her. And you'll have to find a way to keep them from realizing there's suddenly not a baby."

"What?" he looked at her. Quickly, she pushed him out of the room, closing the door. "Charlotte?" he asked from outside. Then he heard...

"What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine Let our powers cross the line I offer up this gift to share Switch our powers through the air."

A breeze came under the door, and a second later, there was a thud. And then...

"Charlotte?" He realized who that was. Carefully, he opened the door. Charlotte lay on the floor, unconscious. And in the bed, Emily sat up, confused. She saw Oliver. "What..." He quickly came in, shutting the door. He went to hug her.

"We have to hurry."

x

_Calida's home_

When Prue arrived, she knew right away that her suspicion had been correct. Little Helia answered the door, looking as distraught as any child would be in this situation. She let Prue in. As they got in the living room, she saw the other three girls, sitting quietly. Helia pointed upstairs. Prue went.

"Hello?" she called.

"In here..." she heard Kaia's voice. She followed. In the room, Kaia, Isaura, and Mariska stood around the bed, where Calida rested. She looked like a corporeal version of the red smoke at this moment.

"What happened?"

"We were ambushed. It all happened so fast," Mariska shook her head.

"Calida saved us, bus she was infected in the process," Isaura followed.

"My cousin, the pyrokinetic, she collapsed, she's in the hospital."

"It's starting," Kaia shook her head.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Prue asked. The three shared a look.

"We can't," Isaura shook her head at the others.

"Can't what?" They remained silent. "Please... My cousin could die, and her baby... And the way you're saying it, other people could be in trouble. If there's something..."

"We can't ask this of you..." Kaia started.

"Ask what?"

"There's something that can heal her. Only there's a hitch. Helia would have to go, only we couldn't send her alone. We can't go with her, we've already been weakened."

"So I'll go."

"It's dangerous..."

"It's never stopped us before."

"Promise you won't go alone?" Mariska stood. Prue nodded. The three shared a look.

x

_San Francisco Memorial_

"You're sure it's okay?" Oliver pressed a hand to Emily's belly.

"I promise," she nodded. "This isn't right..." she cried, looking to the bed. They'd placed Charlotte in it after switching their clothes.

"How else would you explain your recovery to those doctors?"

"How do we fake a baby?"

"We're witches, we'll find a way."

"We won't fool anyone in this family, that's for sure." She looked down. "Give me your jacket?" Charlotte's shirt isn't too practical for being covert about the belly switch." He smiled despite himself as he gave it to her. "Thanks."

"Let's call your aunt." She nodded. He went in the hall to get her. When she walked in with Oliver, Paige took one look at the girl standing before her, and the girl in the bed, and she knew.

"Emily, are you okay?" she hugged her.

"Yes, but we need your help."

x

_Hours later - in a cave_

"Everybody stay close," Prue instructed.

'Everybody' was her and three others - Helia, Nate, and Henry. Henry had gladly accepted to help, for his sister. As it was, they needed him for his augmenter abilities as well. He and Nate ushered the young girl along. She'd walk until she was too tired, then Prue would carry her a while.

"How much further?" Nate asked.

"Shouldn't be long now. We can't orb out. And from what I understand, the danger will be after... when we try to leave."

"I see."

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Prue asked Helia.

"Uh huh." They could tell she was just too worried for her mother to focus on much else.

"You understand what you have to do?" Henry asked. Helia nodded.

"We'll get you out of here, and then we'll be able to help your mom," Prue went on.

"Okay..." she nodded.

"Alright, here we are."

Before they stepped up to collect what they had to collect, Prue picked up Helia to be at the ready while the two guys kept looking around to see this danger that would come. Helia pressed her fingers to the rock, reciting some words. The substance pooled up into the jar, which they hurried to shut.

As soon as that was done, they felt the ground begin to shake. "Avalanch? Earthquake?" Henry asked.

"No..." Nate spoke as he pointed behind them, showing a stampeding mass of guard-like figures coming toward them.

"Helia, hang on to that jar," Prue told the girl as they took off running.

x

_San Francisco Memorial_

"Dad..." she called him to attention as he walked in. When he looked at her, realized who she was, he looked conflicted.

"Emily? I-I don't understand, I was told you..."

"No, I did. Prue figured out it was my fire power that was in peril that caused the problem. Charlotte switched our powers to protect me and the baby." Jason hugged her close before they went up to the bed. Jason took Charlotte's hand.

"Are they close to finding a cure?"

"Prue, Nate, and Henry went to do that. They said they knew where to go and they'd hurry as much as they could," Emily explained.

"Em, should I go make those calls?" Oliver asked his soon-to-be wife.

"Yeah..." she nodded. He headed off.

"What calls?" Jason asked his daughter.

"The wedding. We have to postpone it, we can't... I can't..." She looked to the bed. Jason put his arm around her to try and comfort her.

Outside the room, Lauren/Phoebe was pacing, trying to find a legitimate reason to go into that room and see her daughter. This wasn't something mild, not a scraped knee or a little cut. She could die, and if that was to happen, she needed to be there.

"Here," she was distracted by a cup of coffee placed in her line of sight. She looked to find the offer was coming from Raina.

"Thanks," she took it as the woman sat next to her. "Have you gone in there?"

"Not yet. We just got here, and I thought it'd be best for him to go ahead first. I had to drive, he was just a wreck when they called. I just... I'm keeping the thought in my head that they'll find what's wrong with her before it's too..." She looked down. L/Phoebe observed her.

"They got you quick, uh?" she smiled.

"Right here..." she put her hand to her heart. "You know, when I met Jason, and he told me he had three grown kids, told me about Phoebe, I... I was so scared of how'd they receive me. I thought they'd see me as this woman trying to replace their mother, but... they just welcomed me. And before long, they were as much my kids as Kurt and Reissy are. The thought of losing Emily, I..." L/Phoebe took her hand, almost crying herself.

"They're lucky to have you."

"The door opened and Jason poked his head out. "Raina..." She stood, turning to L/Phoebe.

"You want to..."

"You go ahead. You be with your daughter," she smiled. Raina nodded and smiled. She and Jason entered the room and L/Phoebe closed her eyes, finding her seat before her legs gave in.

x

_Early next morning - March 4th 2030_

"Nate, come on, wake up..." Prue stood over her husband, as she and Henry worked to heal him. They only had scrapes and bruises here and there, and that was thanks to Nate. He on the other hand had been stabbed a couple times, and by the end, Henry had to carry him. But they got out.

"Prue..." he awoke after a moment. She cried and kissed him as he reached to hold her. "Let's go. We have to get this to the guardians," he looked at the jar in the shaken little Helia's hands.

They did so, watching in awe as they worked to heal their fallen sister. Prue looked to her guardian sphere as slowly but surely, the red smoke seemed to regain its color. After a few minutes, it was completely back to normal. Calida awoke, much to the relief of Helia, who approached her mother. The other three looked to Prue and the guys, full of gratitude. They smiled back.

x

_San Francisco Memorial_

Emily stirred in her sleep as something came to her mind's attention - her sister's voice in her head.

"Em... Are you there?"

She woke up, looking to her sister, and saw her wide awake. "Charlie..." she hugged her.

"Are you okay? Is the baby..." she asked, pulling back. "We're fine," Emily promised. Charlotte put her hand to her sister's belly and smiled. "I don't know how to thank you, what you did..."

"You just be happy, and get married today... that's how you can thank me."

"Are you sure?" Emily laughed.

"What better way to recover than a party?" Charlotte chuckled, and the sisters hugged again.

"Alright then, we'll make the arrangements."

"Good... You get married, we all know how you suffered for your dress. We should probably switch our powers back too."

"Yeah..."

L/Phoebe watched from the door, unbeknownst to the girls. Just seeing that they were okay, and happy... She felt at ease. Knowing what they'd done for one another, it just made her proud. It made her ache to hold her girls, and she knew to visit their dreams that night.

**TBC**


	37. CHARACTER TREE ch 36 added

**ANGELS SERIES FAMILY TREE**

_This tree will be updated at the posting of new chapters (when needed). Please DO NOT post reviews to this "chapter", as it will be coming and going. Any questions or requests (for adding and all) are to be put in the chapter preceding it. Thanks!_

_Generations will be coded as A (Piper et al), B (Prue II et al), C (Molly et al). Ax or Bx is a spouse/boyfriend-girlfriend (will be specified when needed). Each entry generally includes the following: Generation, name, status (human, witch…), DOB, (powers)._

_The list will be split in three branches (Piper, Phoebe, Paige), where people will be placed depending on their ties._

_If something doesn't make sense, let me know! (Note: I may forget stuff along the way... I'm gonna try and make this clearer at some point...)_

_DATE AT END OF LAST CHAPTER: (chapter 36) March 4th 2030_

PIPER'S LINE

_GRANDPARENTS ETC: HALLIWELL (FOR 1,2,3)_

PENNY HALLIWELL. Witch. N/A-1998?

PATTY HALLIWELL. Witch. N/A-1978.

PRUE HALLIWELL (I). Witch. 1971-2001.

VICTOR BENNETT. Human. N/A-2009.

SAM WYLDER. Whitelighter.

_**A. PIPER HALLIWELL. Witch. 1973(?)-2010.**_

Ax. (wed (date unknown)) LEO WYATT. Whitelighter (now human).

_B. PRUDENCE MELINDA HALLIWELL ("Prue" (2)). Witch (WL). Feb. 16 2003. Orbing, flight, mind reading._

Bx. (wed Aug. 21 2027) NATHANIEL HENRY PEREIRA ("Nate"). Witch. 2003. Electricity.

C. MOLLY ANGELA HALLIWELL. Witch (WL). Nov. 9 2022. Orbing, light.

(C). OLIVIA PENSEN-DAWES. Human. 2022.

_GRANDPARENTS ETC: PEREIRA_

TONY PEREIRA. Witch. 1957.

JONATHAN PEREIRA. Witch. 1995-2015.

_B. PERSIA ELYSIA HALLIWELL. Witch (WL) (Oracle-to-be). "Feb. 13 2019". Orbing, projection, (foresight)._

**(A). CARA MITCHELL. Human. "Feb. 13 2004".**

(Ax). (wed Dec. 31 2026) LEO WYATT. Human. N/A.

B. WENDY JANE MITCHELL. Human. Mar. 14 2028.

B. (pregnant with second child)

FRIENDS & TIES

_(PRUE'S FRIENDS)_

MISTY. Feline familiar. N/A.

B. KEELY LIAN HENDRIX. (see friends)

B. (gone) NORAH ADELINE GARRY. Human. 2003.

B. (gone) CAROLINE JEANNE HUGHES. Human. 2003.

2. PHOEBE'S LINE

_**A. PHOEBE HALLIWELL. Witch. 1975(?)-2010.**_

Ax. (wed Aug. 5 2004) JASON DEAN. Human. N/A.

_GRANDPARENTS ETC: DEAN_

GREGORY DEAN. Human. 1954-2017.

SHARON DEAN. Human. 1954-2020.

_B. HENRY CHRISTOPHER DEAN. Witch. Aug. 15 2005. Augmenter._

Bx. (dating) MERILYN AMANDA CANTWELL. Human. 2005.

_B. EMILY CASSANDRA DEAN. Witch. Jun. 17 2008. Psych/Charlotte, pyro._

Bx. (engaged) OLIVER ELLSWORTH. Witch. 2006. Augmenter.

C. (pregnant with first child)

_B. CHARLOTTE BRIANNA DEAN. Witch. Jun. 17 2008. Psych/Emily, glacio._

Bx. (dating) MAX RIORDAN. Human. 2008.

_Ax. RAINA McKIERNAN. Witch. 1975. Deceleration, pyro. (married Jason Dean Nov. 14 2026). Children from previous marriages:_

B. KURT JONES(-McKIERNAN). Witch. 2007. Acceleration, conjuration.

B. THERESA McKIERNAN ("REISSY"). Witch. 2014. Concussive blasts/rings, deflection.

FRIENDS & TIES:

_EMILY & CHARLOTTE'S_

CELIA REDWOOD. Human. 2008.

MIA HAYWORTH. Human (life-holder). 2008-2024.

3. PAIGE'S LINE

_**A. PAIGE MATTHEWS. Witch (WL). 1977.**_

Ax. (engaged) ERIC JOSEPH NORWOOD. Witch. May 3 1976-April 12 2006. Levitation.

_B. HELENA KATHERINE MATTHEWS. Witch (WL). Apr. 5 2006. Orb, precognition, persuasion._

Bx. (wed May 17 2028) WILLIAM ISAIAH HYLAND ("WILL"). Human. 2006.

C. TESSA CLAUDIA HYLAND. Witch (WL). July 25th 2029. Orb.

C. (pregnant with second child)

_GRANDPARENTS ETC: NORWOOD_

JACK NORWOOD. Witch. Tba-2029.

SHERRY NORWOOD. Witch. Tba.

_GRANDPARENTS ETC: HYLAND _

TESS HYLAND. Human. N/A-2029.

_Ax. (wed Dec. 24 2011) GLEN BELLAND. Human. N/A._

_(B). SIMON JAMES BELLAND. Human. Oct. 16 2006._

(Bx). (wed May 17 2028) ROXANE MARY SHEALY. Human (Muse). 2006.

(C). ROBERT ANDREW BELLAND. Human. Feb. 9 2029.

_B. DIANA PIPER BELLAND. Witch (WL). Dec. 30 2012. Orb, temporal stasis, temporal displacement._

_B. CECILIA PHOEBE BELLAND. Witch (WL). Sep. 20 2014. Orb, telekinesis, orb telekinesis._

FRIENDS & TIES

"THE ENEMIES"

HEATHER LYNDSEY. Human. 2006.

KEVIN MARCOWITZ. Human. 2006.

PAUL MICHAELS. Human. 2006.

_HELENA'S_

ALLIE PRATT (see Pratt family).

ELIZABETH MAY HAMMELL ("LIZ"). Human. Jun. 22 2006.

RILEY CHARLES SEVER. Human. Jun. 1 2006.

KANSAS PARIS ARMSTRONG. Human. May 17.2006.

(-) GRUFF. Canine. 2020-2024.

_DIANA'S_

SIERRA HENDRIX (see Hendrix family).

(gone) ANGELINA CATANZARO. Human. 2012.

MARK STERN. Human. 2012.

SHANNON TOLKIN. Witch. 2012. Magnetism.

_CECILIA'S_

REISSY McKIERNAN.

KALEY TOLKIN. Witch. 2014. Flight.

SAMUEL BRENNAN. Human. 2014.

JULIAN PRESTON. Human. 2014.

EXTRAS

AYMARA. Oracle. Who knows. A whole lot.

CAELIN'S SCHOOL

**CAELIN DESMOND. Witch. 1977. Terra, hydro.**

FLORA BRANDEIS. Witch. 2004. Regeneration, teleportation.

JULIETTE BRANDEIS. Witch. 2005. Glamoring, shrinking.

CREE HACKETT. Witch. 2003. Phasing, levitation.

ALEXANDRA SNOW ("LEXA"). Witch. 2004. Transfiguration – cheetah, dolphin.

CORINNE STANSTEAD. Witch. 2006. Acceleration, deceleration.

ELEMENT GUARDIANS

MARISKA "HARLOW". Guardian of Water. 1998. Hydro+.

KAI "HARLOW". Guardian in line for Water. 2022. Hydro.

ISAURA "WALTERS". Guardian of Air. 1998. Aero+.

CELESTE "WALTERS. Guardian in line for Air. 2022. Aero.

CALIDA "SEXTON". Guardian of Fire. 1998. Pyro+.

HELIA "SEXTON". Guardian in line for Fire. 2022. Pyro.

KAIA "WARNER". Guardian of Earth. 1998. Terra+.

AINSLEY "WARNER". Guardian in line for Earth. 2022. Terra.

SARAH SPRING + CHILDREN

_SARAH SPRING. Witch (evil). 1950-2027. A lot._

TYLER SPRING. Witch. 1995. Astral projection.

(wife Jenny, children Katie, Matthew, Joshua)

HANNAH SPRING. Witch. 1995. Glacio.

(husband Dean, children Mary, Scott, Anna)

NICOLAE FAMILY

_AVA NICOLAE. (Gypsy). N/A._

LILIANA NICOLAE. (Gypsy). 2005.

MIRELLA NICOLAE. (Gypsy). 2005.

KIANA + FAMILY

BARIN. Demon. 1983.

LINAE, aka MARIE McKENT. (Demon). 1983.

KIANA McKENT. Half-demon. 2014. (Agility).

**WHITELIGHTERS**

LEO WYATT. Whitelighter (now human).

LAUREN SMALL. Whitelighter (see Phoebe Halliwell).

PETER ADAMS. Whitelighter (see Eric Norwood).

CARA MITCHELL. Whitelighter (now human; see Piper Halliwell).

RIANNE ABERNATHY. Whitelighter.

_TRANSFER BODIES FOR PIPER, PHOEBE, ERIC_

VICTORIA ROWLEY. Human/Transfer (see Piper Halliwell). Jul. 15 2010.

KEISHA ELLIOTT. Human/Transfer. (see Phoebe Halliwell). Jul. 15 2010.

WILLOW ZHANG. Human/Transfer. (see Eric Norwood). Apr. 12 2006.

FIRST CHARGES FOR C/P, L/P, P/E

SARAH SPRING. Witch (now evil). (C/Piper).

EMMA LAWRENCE. Witch/Oracle. (1934…). (P/Eric).

TONY PEREIRA. Witch. 1957. (L/Phoebe).

BADDIES

KOREN. Demon.

MARTIN SMITH. Warlock.

SARAH SPRING. Witch/Evil.

WINN. (Demon).

FRIEND FAMILIES

THE MORRIS FAMILY

**A. DARRYL MORRIS. Human. N/A-2024.**

Ax. SHEILA MORRIS. Human. N/A.

_B. MICHAEL MORRIS. Human. 1996._

Bx. MARISSA ROBERTS. Human. 1999.

C. VINCENT MORRIS. Human. 2025.

_B. SHANA MORRIS. Human. 2004._

Bx. (dating) GEORGE DANIELS. Human. 2004.

_B. BRYAN MORRIS. Human. 2007_.

THE PRATT FAMILY

**A. JEANNE PRATT ("JEANNIE"). Human. 1974.**

Ax. (divorced) JEFFREY WOOD. Human. 1974.

_B. ALLISON ELAINE PRATT ("ALLIE"). Human. Aug. 12 2006._

Ax. (wed N/A) MATT THOMASON. Human. 1970-2027.

_B. EVELYN MARIE PRATT ("EVIE"). Human. Nov. 1 2010._

_B. STEPHANIE DIANE PRATT ("STEVIE"). Human. Mar. 5 2019._

THE HENDRIX FAMILY

A WALKER HENDRIX. Human. 1963.

**A KAREN HENDRIX. Human. 1965.**

_B. KEELY HENDRIX. Human. 2003._

Bx. (wed Nov. 12 2028) TRISTAN CONNORS. Witch. 2002. Shrinking, teleporting.

C. TRISTA CONNORS. Witch. July 12th 2029. TBD.

C. CHRISTA CONNORS. Witch. July 12th 2029. TBD.

_B. SIERRA AMELIA HENDRIX. Witch. 2011. Invisibility, glamoring._

**THE ALTERNATE REALITY**

1. PIPER

_B. PRUE HALLIWELL (II)_

Bx. NATE PEREIRA

C. MOIRA BROOKE HALLIWELL. Witch (WL). Dec. 7 2029. TBD.

_B. PERSIA ELYSIA HALLIWELL. Witch (WL). Mar. 1 2011. Orb, projection, transfiguration (wolf)._

Bx. (dating) DAVID CHARLES BELLAND. Human. 2011.

_B. PADGET MEGAN HALLIWELL. Witch (WL). Nov. 21 2013. Orb, phasing, light._

_B. PENELOPE LYNN HALLIWELL. Witch (WL). Nov. 21 2013. Orb, empathy, deflection.._

FRIENDS & TIES

tba

2. PHOEBE

_B. HENRY DEAN_

Bx. (dating) MERILYN CANTWELL

_B. EMILY DEAN_

Bx. (dating) PATRICK FERGUSON. Human 2008.

_B. CHARLOTTE DEAN_

Bx. (dating) ADRIAN WILLIS. Human. 2007.

_B. THOMAS ANDREW DEAN. Witch. May 27 2011. Augmenter._

Bx. (dating) MONICA WALSH. Witch. 2011. Deflection.

FRIENDS & TIES

tba

3. PAIGE

Ax. ERIC NORWOOD. 1976-.

_B. HELENA KATHERINE NORWOOD._

Bx. WILL HYLAND.

C. JILLIAN GAIL HYLAND. Witch (WL). Aug. 14 2026. Orb, hydro.

_B. MARGOT CALLIE NORWOOD. Witch (WL). Sep. 9 2009. Orb, orb telekinesis, terra._

Bx. (ditched) PAUL BURTON. Human. 2007.

C. AMY BETH NORWOOD. Witch (WL). Dec. 12 2027. Orb, remotion.

_B. SAMUEL JACKSON NORWOOD. Witch (WL). Jun. 8 2012. Orb, regeneration, levitation._

EXTRAS

HELENA'S HELP TO FIND AYMARA

ANASTASIA MASON ("STASIA"). Locator. 2005.

CONNOR MASON. TBD. 2025. TBD.

LIVIA MARTIN (Boston). Witch. 2000.

ANNY MARTIN (NYC). Witch. 2004.

BADDIES

ADAM BATES. Demon

FRIEND FAMILIES

THE BELLANDS OF ALTERNA

**A. GLEN BELLAND. Human. N/A-2022.**

Ax. JESSICA BELLAND. Human. N/A.

_B. SIMON JAMES BELLAND._

Bx. (dating) ANNIE DOBSON. Witch. 2008. Empathy.

_B. DAVID CHARLES BELLAND._

Bx. (dating) PERSIA HALLIWELL.

_B. AMY GRACE BELLAND. Human. 2015._

_B. SARAH JANE BELLAND. Human. 2017._


End file.
